The Hanyou Maiden
by Hey Its Ally
Summary: Inuyasha has never had a real family. Being a hanyō, she never really got along with others. After her mother dies, she is sent to be trained to be a warrior so that she can finally meet her father, Inu no Taisho. Will a certain older brother rub off on her? Or is she destined to live forever alone? Gender Bender, OOCness, & Lemons! Spelling & Grammar checked! Fave and Follow!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, it's Ally! This is my first Fan Fic on this website, not my first EVER Fan Fic. However, it is my first attempt at an Inuyasha fic. **

**Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

* * *

"Inuyasha." The familiar sound of the sweet woman pulled the small Hanyou child awake from her nap in the small tree beside their dwelling.

Her relatively large ears twitched upon her head and she grinned at the face of her beautiful mother. "_Kaachan_!" She screamed and leapt into her mother's outstretched arms. She felt her mother wrap her arms around her defensively before nuzzling into her child's silver hair.

"Yes, my child. You have been sleeping for a really long time, my little one." She heard her mother scold her, however, her voice didn't hold any anger or malice. "I know, I'm sorry Kaachan, but it smells really, really nice up there!" She giggled and her mother sighed. "Inuyasha, you know you cannot fall asleep out here unattended, you know that is dangerous, my child." She scolded her again, this time a bit more sternly. The child apologized, happy that her mother didn't stay upset long.

She didn't like upsetting her mother, especially since she could see her mother was not well.

As the young Hanyou girl grew, her mother began to teach her the ways of the sword. She told the girl that as she got older, she would need these teachings. She also taught her how to read and how to write, occasionally even teaching the girl how to dance and care for herself as well.

For the mother knew the time was coming, she was ill, she was dying.

She needed her dear child to be able to be strong and be educated, it was almost time for her to send her on her path to her destiny.

When the child was still but a pup, she told the young girl that she was to be sent with the three servant maidens Yoshino, Yui, and Yuiko with a man named Gakuto. He would care for the child and teach her other necessary things that her human mother could not. However, even though the young Hanyou was told beforehand, it still did not keep her fear or her grief at bay. She would miss her mother, she would grieve her mother. She knew that when she left, she would never see her again. Not unless she died that is. Well, if Hanyou even went to the same realm humans did after they died.

The last day they spent together, her mother told her the story of her life, the same story she had been telling the child from infancy.

"Your father is a great man, and when you are big and strong, you will meet him, along with your elder brother." She said. The girl stared at her mother with large, amber-colored eyes, never leaving her mother's face. She wanted to preserve it, to take it along with her, but she knew that wasn't possible.

Instead she listened, listened to everything she had to say.

"I hope when you realize the reasons behind why your father and I have chosen to have you raised the way you have been, you will not hate us or hold us any ill will. You are my precious jewel, Inuyasha, you must understand this," The beautiful creature paused to cough lightly into her _tamoto_ before continuing, "You will be loved, even if you will not be able to tell. Yes, you are a Hanyou, but you are a Royal Hanyou on both sides of your family. When you find out who your father is, you will be so proud. But until then, I cannot say any more." The woman paused to watch her child's reaction. When she was satisfied that the youngling was following, she continued.

"When Gakuto believes he has trained you to your best, he will take you to the palace of the Great Inu no Taisho, there, you will prove yourself. You will keep my identity to yourself, my child, at least so long as Gakuto tells you, remember, he knows best. You will meet your father there, and your brother. My child, you are destined for great things."

With that, the child nodded, a bit tired from the conversation, but she understood.

"Kaachan, how will I know who's my _Oniisama_? My _Otousan_?" She asked and her mother smiled, brushing her long brown locks out of her face, and replied, "My child, you will know the man who created you. You _will_ know your blood." She smiled again as her child looked a bit confused.

"Just remember what I am telling you, little one."

The very next morning, the Hanyou's mother packed her a small bag of clothes, a bladed fan, a box with a spiritual seal on it and a letter with another spiritual seal on it. Her mother gave her specific orders on what to do with the items. The box was not to be opened until she became two hundred years old. The letter was not to be opened under any circumstances. It was meant to be delivered, not read. She was to give it to her father when she met him. It was to help prove who she was.

Before the little one departed, she embraced her mother tightly, breathing in deeply her earthy but feminine scent. She would remember that smell forever.

She would also remember her mother's kisses on her face, and her voice before she took off on the floating cloud awaiting her.

"Be safe, be with peace, be with honor."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

* * *

"Dammit Gakuto, you old bastard!" The young Hanyou glared at her Sensei. He had forgotten her favorite food before he had arrived at the temple.

"You know I hate tofu!" She turned her nose up at the putrid squared false meat and turned her face away. She had grown into her looks within the past hundred years or so. Her silver hair now flowed down her back and ended at her hips. Her ears now fit her body proportionally and reminded her three serving maids of "Antennae". Her large round eyes gleamed with passion and kindness (except towards Gakuto when he was being an old creep) and were framed with the longest, darkest lashes in all of Japan.

The girl also had her mother's fair skin which glistened with a light tan she had received from her training. Her body was lithe and in shape but was "Shapely" as Yui and Yuiko would gush.

She sighed and glared over at Gakuto who was now pouting.

"Oh stop that old man! You already know I hate that foul smelling stuff. Where do you even get that crap?" She asked, trying to sound less malicious. He continued to pout but answered her question, "I get it where I get it my Lady, you know it is rather good for you whether you like it or not." He stated and placed her food down on the steps of the temple. "Still does not defeat the fact that it's_ repulsive_. You could bring actual meat you know." She replied, distastefully eating the chewy white blobs.

The older man shrugged, walking up the stairs towards the three women who had been caring for the young Hanyou since she was but a young pup. "Yoshino, please prepare Lady Inuyasha for practice, and would you be so kind as to bring me a bag of ice? I have received a headache dealing with the pup." The tiger Youkai sighed as the woman nodded. It had been a long hundred and seventy years. The girl had grown up quite nicely, mastered the sword to a point where she almost surpassed him himself. She also became familiar with the bow and arrow and had become quite gifted with that as well. Of course, he had taught her martial arts and how to use other weapons such as the spear, the Naginata, and the bladed fan her mother had gifted her with.

With the help of the three other Youkai ladies, they had taught her how to be a phenomenal tracker, hunter, and warrior. She would be able to survive on her own, which was the point of all these years of training, the Youkai thought to himself.

Soon enough, it would be time to take her to the house of Inu no Taisho.

He sighed again, he truly did **not **understand why she had to be away for so long, however, he would never outwardly admit that he was questioning his Master. It was just a bit confusing to Gakuto, he had been alive for over a millennia, and had never been put in such a situation. He was a healer, yes he was a skilled fighter but he had quit that hundreds of years ago. Only when the child's father requested (more like demanded) that Gakuto be the one to train her had he left his hiatus and took the child under his wing (so to speak).

"Gakuto-sama, your ice." Yoshino stared at him with her large brown eyes and smiled as she walked over towards the Youkai's desk. She placed it in his hand and moved a lock of her golden waves out of her way and shook her head in thought. "The child is still a child, Gakuto-sama." 'The lioness Youkai could read minds' Gakuto thought to himself bemusedly. Of course, she couldn't actually read minds, but she was **very** perceptive. "I am aware of how old she really is, Yoshino-san. It does not aid in the fact that she is a _royal_ pain in my ass, pun intended." He said and saw Yoshino stifle a laugh.

"Yui and Yuiko have prepared the child for training. She is sparring with the Houshi on the training field." Yoshino bowed and took Gakuto's nod as her signal to leave.

"Ah that _lecherous_ Houshi."

* * *

"Is that all you got, Miroku?" Inuyasha grinned as she pinned the Monk to the ground after they had fought for all of twenty minutes. He mumbled something incoherent and she pressed her knee into his chest harder. "What was that, you perverted Houshi?" She asked and he groaned, "I'm sorry Inuyasha! I just could not help myself, it's this cursed hand!" He said, and she rolled her eyes. He was always groping the females around the temple be them Youkai or human Priestesses. He was a pervert, a Hentai, a creep. But he was also her best friend, and with that, Inuyasha stood up and offered him a hand.

"Your hand hasn't been cursed for over three years and you know it." She said as he stood up and she glared at the lopsided grin he had plastered on his young face. "Yes, yes, but you do know that I can still conjure it, Lady Kaede said so." He said rubbing at the _tekko_ wrap on his right hand that was swathed with the _Japa mala_ hindu beads.

"Doesn't mean you're cursed, Monk. Naraku has been dead for over three years now. You're a plain and simple Hentai! You grope me and Sango every chance you get!" Inuyasha remembered every single time the Houshi would grope herself or the demon Taijiya while they were traveling with Shippo, and Kirara. The Taijiya was a good friend of Inuyasha as well, but the slayer hated the Monk with everything she had (at least she acted like she did). She could even hear her right now, "You perverted holy Hentai monk!" it even sounded so close and so real.

"Now now, Lady Sango, please calm yourself, for the love of Buddha!" She could even hear the Houshi running for his life.

"Inuyasha! Help!" Wait, that wasn't a part of that memory, Inuyasha looked up and saw the Monk was actually running from the Taijiya who was dressed in her normal green and pink Kimono. "Ah so she really is here to kill the pervert." Inuyasha simply sat down and waited to hear the monk Mushin scold the two for running around temple grounds.

When she finally closed her eyes as she waited for Gakuto, she heard the soft padding of little Kitsune feet. Her ears twitched in the direction and she could smell the excitement off the little creature. When she heard the pounce, she grabbed the furry pup by its head and opened her eyes to see Shippo trying to hug her. "Hey there, pipsqueak!" She said and the Kitsune simply kicked at her and tried to escape her hold. "Don't call me pipsqueak, _big foot_!" The young one shouted and caused Inuyasha to drop him to the ground, softly, but he still ate dust.

"Oi! Don't call me that, my feet are actually pretty dainty if I do say so myself." Inuyasha defended and watched as the runt folded his arms and pouted, his large green eyes glaring at her.

"Dainty? What is that even mean!" He asked and she simply laughed. "Never mind, Shippo, just know my feet are not ones that belong to some behemoth." She smirked as she watched his face contort into a look of confusion. "Bee-hey-muff? What the heck is that!" He mumbled.

Shaking her head, she watched as Gakuto finally walked down the temple stairs to join everyone, he noticed the Taijiya flippantly arguing with the Houshi and the Kitsune pup who had now joined Inuyasha in her lap.

"Well, hey there runt!" Gakuto exclaimed and Shippo's head almost exploded with fury if that was even possible. Inuyasha started to laugh and fell to the ground, causing the young one to look at his adoptive mother in disbelief. "Don't laugh at me! That's not fair! You guys always pick on me!" He whined and soon, the Monk and the Taijiya had joined Inuyasha and Gakuto on the field.

"It's alright Shippo, you are pretty young." Miroku tried to comfort the fox child, but that seemed to only make him more upset. "I'm gonna go find Kirara! You guys are such jerks." He said and walked towards the front of the temple. Inuyasha laughter died down and she wiped at her tears. "Well then Gakuto, ready to fight old man?" She queried and Gakuto nodded, his silver hair swaying in the wind with the two black and orange stripes on either side. His warm green eyes stared at the Houshi and the Taijiya, quietly asking them to back up as the Inu-Hanyou got into her fighting stance. In the _Si Liu Bu_ stance that she had picked up on one of their trips to the mainland, she took the defensive pose and stared at Gakuto motioning for him to come.

This was going to be **quite** the fight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

* * *

**{** **A/N** This is my **FIRST** Attempt at a fight scene **ever**, please give any thoughts and advice, thank you! **}**

* * *

Gakuto appeared behind the Hanyou, attempting to kick her legs from under her, instead, she had sensed his movement and turned her torso to block his kick with her left hand, alternately sending a bone crushing punch to his face with her right. He slid back from the impact and stopped himself with his hands, but before he could stand up he felt her kick him with the heel of her foot on the top of his head, pushing his face into the dirt. She then lifted the man with her two hands and tossed him into the air, jumping to join him and kneeing him into the gut, achieving a liver shot. Gakuto couldn't believe how fast she had gotten, as he fell down to the ground, he composed himself as quickly as he could, spitting the blood from his mouth onto the floor. He felt the air move and he attempted to grab her by the wrist and slam her into the ground, but instead she used his own weight against him and shot him rolling into the opposite direction.

"You're getting slow, old man!" She yelled and sent another kick into his gut, causing him to spit up more blood.

**( Miroku's POV )**

Inuyasha had been wiping the floor with Gakuto for the past forty to forty-five minutes. He had gotten a few punches in, even a kick to the gut, but she kept coming. Since when was she so fast? I gripped my Shakujou staff and stared in awe as she head butted Gakuto and sent him flying to the other side of the field.

"Come on, you can't be tired already!" She taunted and Gakuto stood up and wiped his mouth, shaking his head. "Never, I was just getting started!" He ran at her with his super human speed, almost too fast for me to see, for the next few moments, all I saw was a black and white blur of Youkai and Hanyou.

Finally, when I could see again, Gakuto was under Inuyasha, who had her claws at his neck. She had won.

"Wow, since when did she have so much strength?" Sango looked on in amazement while shaking her head. "I believe she was always strong, but she never won against Gakuto for an _entire_ round." Mushin appeared behind us and we turned around to see the short and chubby monk grinning. He looked obviously drunk but was aware of the scene before him.

"It is time." He said, and Sango and I looked at each other in confusion.

**( Regular POV )**

Inuyasha helped her Sensei up and he smiled at her. He looked like he was in a bit of pain but she knew he could handle it. "How'd I do, old man?" She asked and looked up at him expectantly. She knew she did good she just wanted to hear those words come from his mouth. The mouth of her Sensei, the man who had been training her from when she was a weak pup till now. He looked at her with his green eyes and winked. "Not too bad pup, not too bad." He said and patted her on the head, careful not to be too rough with her ears.

"Really?" She asked and he nodded, "Hai. Now help me over to our comrades." He said and she nodded, letting him wrap his arm around her neck and walk over in the direction of Miroku, Sango and the monk Mushin.

"Inuyasha, that was amazing!" Miroku said and she blushed at his compliment. Sango nodded and gave her a hug, careful not to irritate Gakuto's hold on her.

"I agree, that was amazing, I've never seen you fight like that in the whole time we were searching for Naraku, that was unbelievable!" She gushed and Inuyasha nodded, trying to appear humble.

The monk Mushin looked at Gakuto and they both nodded. "Inuyasha. Sango, Houshi, may I have a word with Mushin-san?" Gakuto stated and they all nodded, leaving to the front to find Shippo and Kirara.

"So she is ready?" The elder Houshi asked the Tiger Youkai and he nodded with pride. "She is ready to start the journey to Inu no Taisho's home." Gakuto replied and the Houshi grunted and rubbed at his round nose. "Her friends are ready as well, she will need the company and friendship for this journey." He replied and Gakuto nodded in agreement. Her friends would be great help in finding her destiny.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course)**

**A/N: I hate typing on Macs! It's so complicated... Anyways, on to the story...**

* * *

As the three friends watched Kirara and Shippo playing in the grass, they all laid back and watched the clouds. They had been through so much, Inuyasha taking the Shikon no Tama from Kaede's village, getting it _stolen_ by Naraku, getting it _from_ Naraku and then getting it broken, having to find the scattered jewel shards, saving Sango's brother Kohaku, breaking Miroku's curse and then finding out it was turned into a gift, Inuyasha getting revenge for Shippo's parents, repairing the Shikon no Tama and finally returning it to Kaede and getting the scolding of her life.

However, it was all worth it. They had met so many people including Lady Kaede and Kikyo, (except for the fact that Kikyo began to despise Inuyasha and turned into a Dark Miko) Kouga and his Wolf Pack, the dragon Ryūkotsusei, Miroku's mentor Mushin and so many others. It had been a dream come true when Inuyasha had found out that Gakuto knew Mushin from when he was but a boy and also knew Miroku's father and grandfather as well, so staying at the temple was no problem.

Sango was relieved when they saved Kohaku, Inuyasha finally purified the Dark Miko Kikyo and in turn, she gave her soul to the boy when his shards were removed.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Miroku asked, breaking the silence. Inuyasha scoffed and stared at the Houshi to her right. "Probably not, you hentai." She said and Sango giggled to her left. "She's right, you false holy man." She added and he glared at them both. "I am thinking of nothing perverse! I was simply thinking about how we all became friends and how close we have all become. I believe I can thank Naraku for one thing, and that is being able to meet you two." He said and Sango whispered something about the monk having a silver tongue, but Inuyasha looked at him and smiled. "I was too." She said and looked at the two smaller companions of theirs (well, Kirara was small at the moment) and she smiled again when she noticed that they were sleeping.

"Inuyasha!" Yoshino yelled as she walked down the wooden steps. "Gakuto and Mushin wish to speak with you." She said and she looked at her two companions, "All of you." She added, and walked back up the stairs, her kimono hugging her hips. Miroku stared after her and started to walk quickly before Inuyasha punched him in the head.

"Hentai."

* * *

"I'm leaving for the castle?" Inuyasha asked, surprise was plastered all over her face. Gakuto nodded and she grinned and couldn't help but hug him tightly. "When!" She asked and he looked over at Mushin who was drinking another bottle of sake. He grumbled and looked back at his charge. "We have sent for Prince Kouga to escort you, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara to the Western Lands. Since he has been working with the Lord of the castle, lending his battle smarts and so forth, he has become something of a general within this past year. He can tell you three all you will want to know and all you will need to know." Gakuto stated but was confused when he saw Inuyasha's happiness fade. "What about Shippo? Won't he be able to come as well?" She asked and he sighed and looked over to the Kitsune who was now devouring some raw lamb that Gakuto left out for him. He had been eating way too much cooked foods.

"He is too young, my Lady. If he were to go, he would be a bit distracting for this mission. He will stay here and Mushin will take him to Lady Kaede's village by tomorrow." Gakuto said, but that didn't help to stifle her anger. "Kaede is but a human woman! How is she supposed to care for a Kitsune pup? Hm?" She asked and he groaned inwardly. "Child, I will come up with something." He said and she folded her arms against her chest and waited for him to continue.

She reminded him so much of her father sometimes.

"Fine, he will come with me." He said and she cocked her head to the side. "Where?" She asked and he scratched at the back of his head and looked at the three Demonesses for help and they all shrugged at once. "I will be headed on a journey as well with Yoshino, Yui and Yuiko. They shall care for the pup and when we reach our destination, you may see for yourself." He said. Inuyasha sighed, feeling a bit confused but relieved that the three Demonesses would be caring for her pup. "Fine." She said and looked at Miroku who looked lost in thought.

"When is Kouga going to arrive?" Sango asked after it had been quiet for several moments and Gakuto looked behind her. "He should be here right now." He said and the three friends turned to see Kouga standing at the entryway with a cocky smirk on his face. His hair was up in a high ponytail, and had grown down his back. It was still the dark brown they had remembered and his piercing blue eyes still roamed his surroundings before latching them onto Inuyasha.

"My woman!" He exclaimed and was in front of Inuyasha in no time, picking her up into a hug she smiled. He had gotten stronger and faster even without the jewel shards.

"Kouga, let me down this instant!" She said in mock agitation, when he did, she noticed he had also gotten much taller and his outfit had changed as well. He wore a black and grey ensemble instead of all brown, his armor was much more fancy with spikes on his shoulder plates and elbow guards.

"It's nice to see you too, Inuyasha." He blushed when she smiled warmly, "You too, Ookami-chan." Inuyasha turned when she heard Miroku cough into his hand, but it didn't sound natural. She glared at him. "What, Houshi?" She asked and he looked at Kouga with his dark blue eyes. "Nothing, I just see another Hentai, is all." He said and Inuyasha started to laugh when she felt Kouga tense. "Yeah? The only Hentai I see is the creepy Houshi standing there about to fondle the Taijiya once again." Kouga scoffed and looked at the Taijiya who was now blushing, she turned and smacked Miroku across the face and he sighed.

"You win this time, Kouga." He said and Kouga rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, it's time we get on our way." He said and bowed towards Gakuto. "See ya later old man." He said and Gakuto nodded.

"See you later, Gakuto-sensei, Ojiisan." Inuyasha said to her Sensei and the old Monk, they both smiled and waved and watched as the trio (plus Kirara) walked outside.

* * *

**Poor little Shippo! It's alright, we'll see more of the cute little Kitsune soon enough! Kehehehe...**

**Shippo: "I'm not little!"**

**Inuyasha: "Oi! Calm down runt."**

**Miroku: "He is **_**miniscule.**_**"**

**Shippo: "What's Mee-neye-skool?"**

**Sango: "There is no hope..."**

**Kouga: "Agreed"**

**Kirara: "Mew!"**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

* * *

**Also : Kagome will appear in this ****fic, however, she will NOT be a love interest to anyone. I have plans for her character development. If you don't like, don't read.**

**Thank you.**

* * *

The hardest part about leaving the temple was that it had become somewhat of a home in the last two years. She was going to miss the gong, the prayers, the spying on Yui, Yoshino and Yuiko as they cleaned the sheets outside. She was going to miss Shippo most of all, but Gakuto said she would see him so she wasn't too worried about that. Kouga held her bag as they headed towards the Western Lands, she was on his back and Miroku and Sango were on Kirara, arguing about something she couldn't quite remember.

"You're ready, Inuyasha. Stop worrying so much." She heard Kouga say and she held onto him a bit tighter as they jumped through trees. "I'm not worrying." She said and he scoffed. "You haven't been listening to a word those two humans have been saying." He rebutted and she inwardly groaned. She hated that he was so intuitive all the time.

"It's just that I've been preparing for this for so long, what if they don't want me there? At the castle? I don't even know what I'm going to do exactly." She said and held her face closer to Kouga's pelt. He laughed, "They will want you there _because_ you're prepared. Gakuto is sending you here to become a warrior, am I right? He wants you to prove yourself worthy and in doing so, you will meet your brother and father, you following me so far?" He asked and she nodded.

He continued, "I don't know all the details, I know only what Gakuto and that old Houshi would tell me, but I do know that you're going for a reason. Stop being so depressed, this is actually going to be a pretty fun thing, especially if you've gotten as powerful as I've heard." He looked behind his shoulder to see her looking at him in shock. "You've heard I've gotten powerful?" She asked and he nodded. "I have people." He said and smirked.

I see that, creepy wolf-boy. She thought and smiled. He reminded her of a brother she never had. Well, she had a brother, but she had never met him. Kouga had always been there for her after they first met, and even though she knew he played around about her being his 'Woman', she knew that a certain Taijiya would be heartbroken if she returned his feelings.

She looked up at Kirara to see Sango gazing at Kouga and she sighed. She really needs to say something to him.

* * *

"Let's make camp." Miroku hopped off of Kirara and helped Sango down as well. He glanced at Inuyasha who had started a fire and Kouga who was making small chat with Sango. He knew Sango had feelings for wolf-boy, but according to what Inuyasha told him about his aura when he was around her, it was a blue-yellow one, which indicated that even though he wasn't necessarily unhappy with talking with her, he just wasn't romantically attracted to her.

Miroku sighed, and placed his staff next to him as he sat down in front of a large tree.

She _really _needed to say something.

* * *

**{ The Next Afternoon }**

After catching and roasting fish for breakfast, they headed back towards the castle, gaining speed. Inuyasha determined that it would take them approximately three more hours to reach their destination.

When they arrived at the hill that overlooked the castle, Inuyasha stared wide-eyed at the picture in front of her. A large, white marble gate surrounded the entire castle, (more like fortress) it was so white, it almost hurt her sensitive eyes to look at for too long. She watched in awe as Kouga slowly made his way downhill to the drawbridge that lead to the entrance. Two large Bear-Daiyoukai looked at the five of them and then brought their attention to Kouga.

"Prince Kouga, are these the ones that you have brought from Gakuto?" One of them spoke directly to Kouga, he held a spear and wore armor similar to what Kouga had on at the time. His deep black eyes scoured them, looking at each and every one of their faces, his own face unreadable.

"Yes, Osamu, they are." Kouga said straight to the point. Osamu took one last look at the group and glanced over to his partner, "Mamoru, open the gate." He said, and stepped aside for the group to walk through.

Inuyasha was let down carefully by Kouga and he led them inside, past more guards, and towards a hall. He then stopped, and turned towards them all.

"Now, you all know what you are here for, am I correct?" He asked, and they all nodded. He asked them to repeat what Gakuto had told them all to do. He looked at Sango first, "I am applying to help train the female servants and other female members of the staff." She said and Kouga nodded, "And you, Houshi?" Miroku looked at him and replied, "I am applying to become the Spiritual Guide of the Court." He said and Kouga nodded again and looked at Inuyasha.

"I am applying to become the female General and Counsel of the Great Dog Demon's Army."

* * *

Kouga brought them each to closed off rooms in the Northern Wing. Each of them had to speak with the Inu no Taisho's son before being considered or qualified for applying for the jobs they were looking to get. Kouga wished them each good luck, especially Inuyasha.

She didn't look nervous or smell nervous or anything, but he knew she was hiding it all very well due to the fact that she had been trained to do so since she was a young pup. He knew she was at least a _bit_ anxious and he wished that she wouldn't be. He had fought her before, when they first met, simply because he had been a bit stubborn and didn't want her or her friends to past through his Mountains. He definitely got his ass beat that time, and after that, he began to care for the Hanyou more and more.

He sighed as he closed the sliding door for her and left her to sit on the tatama mat inside.

She was going to do perfectly.

* * *

Inuyasha fumbled with her fingers, thinking back to when she was a pup and the last time she spoke to her mother. She was most likely dead by now, it'd been over a century. Humans didn't live as long as Youkai or Hanyou did. It was a bit sad to think, but she knew the only reason why her mother sent her away was so that she could be prepared. She needed to be strong, and being raised by a human would not bring out her full demonic potential. Now that she had been through training, she slightly understood a bit more of her mother's reasoning and she couldn't help but respect the woman more and more.

She also couldn't help but wonder when she was to meet her brother, or her father. Her mother simply told her, "_You will know your blood_." How the hell was she going to know her blood? It's not like she would cut herself, lick it and then cut every male that resembled her and lick them as well. And she definitely was **not** going to go around sniffing anyone. That's just plain **weird**, and Inuyasha was not weird. She was poised, respectful, and honorable (sometimes). She was a _great_ warrior and had _great_ communication skills. She would simply use all that she had learned while away and figure out everything on her own.

She sighed, and looked into her lap. She was sitting properly, feet tucked under her bottom, legs closed together, her red kimono tucked under her. She had tied the obi countless times before she allowed a few serving women to tie it for her in the back. She looked beautiful, especially with her hair flowing down her back in a high ponytail tied with a red ribbon.

Her hands were folded in her lap as well, still fidgeting until she heard the sliding door move.

She breathed in and calmed herself, finding her center.

_Form does not differ from the void, and the void does not differ from the form_. She silently repeated her mantra as she heard the light shuffle of someone taking off their boots.

She kept her head down as she waited to hear them tell her it was alright to look upon them as they sat across from her.

She heard the pouring of tea and smelled the matcha against the warm clay as the mystery person poured the hot water.

"You may look up, this Sesshomaru is ready to speak."

* * *

**Sessy has made his appearance, finally! _However,_ there won't be any lemons in this next ****chapter, I'm trying to give this story a plot.**

**Please be patient with me! ^-^**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

* * *

She heard his voice and looked up slowly, allowing her head to be held high upon her head in dignity but did not look him in the face, as that would be considered rude.

"What is your name?" He asked and she licked her lips before replying, not trusting her voice, but still speaking up in a respectable manner, she replied, "Inuyasha, Lord Sesshomaru." She said and she saw him pass her the cup which held her portion of tea. She rotated the cup and felt its warmth in her hands and gazed upon the bright green matcha. She breathed in and waited for him to take his sip.

"Inuyasha, it appears that you are well versed in the etiquette of the tea ceremony, would this Sesshomaru be right in his presumption?" The male asked and she allowed herself a glimpse at his face. He was fair-skinned, with golden eyes that showed no emotion, much like her own at the moment. They were framed delicately by black lashes and right below them, on the apple of his cheeks were violet stripes, two on each. He also had a blue crescent moon upon his forehead and slightly pointed ears. He looked very regal and composed, his hair perfectly groomed and in place, his white _fundoshi_ and _hanjuban_ pleated gracefully against him and his white _hakama_ with red floral details laid delicately against his skin. He wasn't overdressed but his clothes were not of some low quality cloth.

She was glad she wore her best clothing today.

"Yes, my Lord, you would be correct. I was taught by my Sensei." She said simply but courteously, and he nodded in acknowledgement. He sipped his tea slowly and placed his cup on the small table that separated them, and as she took her sip, he took the time to take in her appearance. He noticed that she was a Hanyou, due to the ears atop her head. It was actually not as repulsive as he thought it would be to meet one. He had been constantly told by his mother that Hanyou were filthy creatures who had no right to live in the world.

He inwardly praised the Hanyou in front of him for proving his mother incorrect. The woman was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever laid eyes upon, and his inner Youkai was screaming with delight. He noticed her silver hair and golden eyes but couldn't determine what type of Hanyou mix she was, but was above asking her, for it would be quite rude and distasteful to ask something so private.

"What were you trained in, Inuyasha?" He asked and she gracefully patted down her red _tamoto_ and then refolded her small hands.

"Tachi-Dori, Swordsmanship, Kenjutsu, Battojutsu, Iaijustu, Naginatajutsu, Sojutsu, Kyudo, Koryu the Old Style and Kobudo the Ancient Martial Arts." She replied, and looked up to see his reaction.

Sesshomaru nodded, and tabled that information for later. "So do you have limited training in these arts or are you a Master, Inuyasha?" He asked and he saw a light blush stain her cheeks and he felt himself almost smile.

"I am considered a Master, my Lord." She responded and he nodded again. He was quite intrigued with the creature, he wanted to see her fight and he wanted to see it now.

"Would you be able to demonstrate your abilities, for this Lord Sesshomaru?" He asked and her blush deepened. "Yes, my Lord." She replied.

"I will show you to the barracks, I would like to see how you fair against this Sesshomaru himself." He said and she stood gracefully and bowed deeply, her eyes to the floor.

"Yes, my Lord."

* * *

Inuyasha almost squealed, her inner Youkai had been acting up since she met Lord Sesshomaru.

_**Strong. Submit. Be good.**_ It repeated in her head.

Submit? What did she look like, a pet? She was no pet! She would of course serve her Lord, but she was not about to allow him to take advantage of her and think that she would do everything he told her to do simply because that was what he wanted.

_**You are foolish. Submit. Be quiet.**_ Her inner Youkai was about to get slapped if it wasn't for the fact that it was in her head. She sighed and reached the barracks after following a Kitsune servant who showed her the way. He nodded for her to go in and she immediately saw how large the soldier's training quarters were. It could fit almost two of Kaede's villages in there, maybe three. It was filled with wrestling mats, weapons, and three throne like chairs at the very end.

"Inuyasha!" She heard Sango yell her name and her ears twitched in her direction. "Sango! You made it?" She asked and noticed the Taijiya was wearing an outfit similar to her slayer outfit except the colors were all black and light blue. "Yes! I start training today!" She squealed and noticed the Hanyou's own attire.

She was still wearing her kimono.

"Did _you_ make it?" She asked a hint of fear in her voice and Inuyasha smiled to try and calm her. "Lord Sesshomaru wishes to see me demonstrate my abilities." She said and Sango nodded slowly.

"I see." Said a male voice. Inuyasha and Sango turned to the Houshi behind them and rolled their eyes. He was wearing similar robes except for the fact that they were a bit longer and had the house emblem on the right breast.

"See what, Houshi?" Inuyasha asked and he grinned, "You have to fight the Lord." He responded and she sensed Sango's fear again.

_Damn Miroku, shutup._

"She has to what!" Sango exclaimed and the two began to argue over what Inuyasha should be doing and what she shouldn't. She just sighed and walked away from the two and began to notice that Lord Sesshomaru had entered and was ordering archery targets to be set at the end of the barracks. He looked behind himself and caught her eye, causing the heat to rise to her face. She had no clue as to how he did that but she guessed he probably knew some magic of some sort.

He walked towards her, his_ stride_ even looked regal. "Inuyasha, I have prepared a bow and arrow for you." He handed it over to her and she nodded, looking at the targets.

'Easy.' She thought and he gestured towards the three targets before asking her to pause. "You will shoot the arrow exactly in the center without hitting any of my men." He said and she saw that a line of soldiers walked across the room to block the targets. Sango gasped next to her and she could feel Miroku's nervousness. If she was like Miroku, she would have passed out because of the pressure. Everyone was looking at her, even Lord Sesshomaru.

"Yes sir." She said and looked at the bow. It was rather large and sculpted of ivory, the string itself she could tell was made of a strong material. She held the arc and placed the arrow on the body, pulling the string along with it, she pointed the tip of the arrow in the direction she saw the center of the first target. She then let go and heard the zip of the arrow as it shot across the large room, piercing through its target.

"Oh Buddha!" Miroku whispered, the arrow pierced the center of the first target without harming a hair on any one of Sesshomaru's men.

"Next." She whispered and did the same for last two. She could feel the tension lift off of the soldiers as she finished and looked up at Lord Sesshomaru. He nodded and looked at her hips.

He was looking at Tessaiga.

"Now, this Sesshomaru would like to spar with you." He said and motioned towards her sword.

She nervously remembered Gakuto saying that under _no_ circumstances should she unsheathe Tessaiga unless he said otherwise. "My Lord, may I ask to use one of the swords here? I would like to prove that I can use any weapon given to me." She said, hoping he couldn't tell there was more to her statement. He simply nodded, and she almost sighed as he motioned for a little green imp to bring her a sword.

"Jaken." He said and the little creature came running with one. "Yes, my Lord!" The thing whimpered and Inuyasha could tell the thing feared his Lord.

_What a little bitch,_ she shook her head at it and glanced at Lord Sesshomaru who had also gotten a different sword.

"Let us begin." He said and directed her towards a large mat obviously the designated area for swordplay. Miroku and Sango joined the small crowd that was now forming and she could hear people mumbling about who she was or who they thought she was.

She saw Sesshomaru get into his stance, holding his sword in front of him, one foot in front of the other. She did the same, with the opposite foot and watched as he studied her.

_Not today big boy, I know what you're doing._ He launched himself at her, and last-minute she switched feet, turning so as he launched forward, she could turn and kick in between his legs and pull her foot back quickly and brought his right leg under. He fell and she stepped onto his sword, tossing it and pointing her sword to his neck.

"My Lord." She said, and stepped back to allow him to stand up. She heard people whispering and caught the gist of what they were saying.

"How did she _do_ that?" Was what all of his subjects were wondering and he turned to face her and saw a small smirk. "I believe we have a spot for you." He said and she bowed.

* * *

Sesshomaru was livid. He did not take defeat well, however, he was not upset with the young Hanyou, he was upset with himself. How could he allow her to trick him like that? He thought he had gathered all the necessary information about her through her stance, which is how he would normally go about things.

It was his _damn_ inner Youkai going on and on about how the situation would be much better minus the swords and a few articles of clothing.

He inwardly groaned and as he ran into the mangy wolf Prince, Kouga he couldn't help but want to roll his eyes. He would have, too, if it wasn't for the fact that he was Lord Sesshomaru, heir to the Western Lands. "Lord Sesshomaru, I've heard that you have given Inuyasha a chance?" He asked and he could tell the flea-bitten wolf had a thing for the pretty Hanyou.

_**Not his. Kill. Destroy. **_His inner Youkai had been talking non-stop all morning since she had arrived and it definitely hadn't ceased since the fight.

**_Strong. Claim. Now._** His iron grip on his demon instincts had loosened a bit and now it was just getting out of control. "Lord Sesshomaru?" The Prince repeated and Sesshomaru composed himself quickly. "Yes, I have given thought to the Hanyou." He said simply and began to walk away. The wolf really agitated him with his presence. "Have you come to a decision?" He asked and Sesshomaru continued to walk towards his quarters.

_Wouldn't the mutt like to know?_

"I had not realized that my decisions were any of your business, wolf." He said and he felt Kouga's increased agitation, not that he would do anything that is.

"I apologize, my Lord." He said and continued on in the opposite direction.

Sesshomaru just wanted to find his room and his bed. He was exhausted and also a bit embarrassed, which was not an emotion this Sesshomaru was used to.

* * *

**Good, bad, terrible? Please review :)**


	7. Thank You All So Far

**I wanted to _personally_ thank everyone who has reviewed thus far !**

**Isabellaa**

**Mikhail .again**

**ErinLovesSessh**

**Karen**

**And again, mikhail :)**

**This means so much ^-^ I'll be updating in the morning!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

* * *

After asking around to find the outdoor hot springs, Inuyasha and Sango decided to go and soak after a long afternoon of practice.

After about an hour, Sango decided that she would head to sleep and find Kirara and Shippo as well. "Alright, see you in the morning." Inuyasha said and watched as Sango wrung out the steamy water from her long brown locks. "Be careful, these hot springs are for both the males and females here." Sango said and Inuyasha nodded. She doubted any fool would try to do anything to her, _especially_ after her demonstration earlier that day. She calmed herself and allowed the water to soothe her aching joints.

* * *

Sesshomaru had decided he could not, under _any_ circumstances, sleep anymore. He was too wiry, to full of energy. His inner Youkai had also been blabbering about finding that young Hanyou and doing some other things that involved getting on the floor, but Sesshomaru did not _dare_ allow his instincts to take over his intellectual ability to control himself.

He was much better than some lower level demon or some animal.

_This Sesshomaru is **no **animal._

However, he _did_ agree that he needed to relax his muscles and the hot spring did sound pretty constructive, that Hanyou _did_ put up a fight, even if it was less than a minute.

He growled to himself and promised that he would ask for a second round one of these days. He was so caught up with his thoughts that he hadn't realized he had walked to the outside hot springs and not his own personal one in his quarters.

He saw the silver hair and little ears twitch and he knew he wasn't going back inside anytime soon.

* * *

Inuyasha was lost in thought. She realized that she had finally gotten into the Inu no Taisho's army (kind of) but knew she had a lot more work to do than beat everyone up. She sighed and allowed bubbles to form out of her mouth. She just didn't know how to do all of this on her own, beating people up sounded pretty effective as a matter of fact. _**No it does not.** _ Her Youkai shook its head at her. Well, of course, she had Miroku and Sango, but they were also relatively knew to all of this as well. If it was up to the Houshi, they would be philandering about, flirting with the maids and what not and if it was up to Sango, well, actually Sango was pretty smart so maybe she could actually help more than the Hanyou thought.

As she ruminated on her thoughts, she hadn't realized the other presence before they were across from one another.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" She squealed and noticed how he looked a bit amused. _How could I not **smell** him? What the hell!_

"It seems as though I have caught you off guard, little one." He said and she saw his muscles ripple as he stretched his arms across the wet rocks. He was a gorgeous man, especially when he was wet and in a friggin' hot spring.

"I-I was just dozing off, my Lord." She quipped and looked away from him. How was she supposed to get out of the water with him _looking_ at her like that? She was beginning to get nervous, but she didn't allow her body to expel any of those pheromones that it produced in the sweat when she got nervous. Oh no, he was definitely not going to know that he had caught her off guard. _Hell no._

"Is that so?" He said more than asked. He looked away from her and focussed his gaze onto the palace, his eyes roaming over the rooms and what not. She crossed her arms and chose to glance in the opposite direction at the trees and dark sky, allowing the quiet to consume them.

She had gotten relatively comfortable with the silence before he had to go and interrupt it by talking.

"I feel like we have encountered one another on some other instance." He said and she shrugged.

_How could we have ever met before? Can you not tell I haven't really been around people like you __much? Yes, I speak properly but I'm far from some respectable Lady. _Inuyasha almost glared at him but decided that he probably didn't mean to sound as insensitive as he did.

"I doubt that you have been where I have been, my Lord." She said and he looked a bit confused before composing his face back into the unreadable mask.

"And where would that be, exactly?" He asked sounding slightly interested. She shrugged again and motioned all around her.

"All over Japan." She said, referring to her travels with the Monk and Taijiya, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Why?" He asked and she shrugged.

"I had important duties to the ones I cared for, sir." She said and he cocked his head to the side.

"What _duties_?" He asked and she shrugged again.

"Helping my friends, saving villages. It really is most boring, my Lord." She said softly, she honestly didn't want this man to know so much about her on the first day. She especially didn't want him asking about why she was allowed to roam by herself without any actual adult Youkai supervision, technically in the Youkai world, she was still a pup.

"So you are quite the ideal hero, are you not?" He inquired, moving his long silver hair over to his left shoulder.

"It depends on the context." She answered and the Inu-Daiyoukai almost chuckled. The Hanyou girl was quite _**cute.**_

"Anyways, my Lord, I should be heading back to my room. I wouldn't want to impose on your private soaking." She almost slapped herself in the head when her Youkai began to nag at her to stay. _I really can't, Sango might be worried right now, I've been out her for far too long. My toes have probably pruned._

"As you wish." He said and looked in her direction as she stood.

* * *

Sesshomaru couldn't help but stare as the water cascade down her slightly tanned limbs. She was shapely, in all the right areas. Her thin but sculpted stomach glistened and she parted her hair to cover her breasts and he almost groaned when she parted her full lips to let out a heavy sigh. As she stepped out and climbed over the rocks (quite gracefully might I add), her long hair slapped her on her bottom and the Inu-Daiyoukai heard her yelp, and a string of curses found their way to his talented ears.

The Hanyou was definitely _quite_ amusing.

* * *

Two weeks after the Hanyou, the Houshi, the Taijiya, and the Neko Youkai had arrived, they heard a familiar voice booming through the halls.

"Gakuto!" Inuyasha ran up to him and gave him a big hug, almost tight enough to have crushed him had he been human. Miroku laughed at Gakuto's face, he was shocked that she would be able to hear him from the other side of the castle, let alone run to him that fast.

"Inuyasha! You're crushing me!" She heard the sound of a certain little Kitsune and she unwrapped herself from around Gakuto and saw her young pup. "Shippo!" She exclaimed and he hopped into her arms. "I missed you little one." She whispered, hoping no one else could hear her, and he nuzzled into her neck. "I thought you said you had a destination to get to, old man." Inuyasha said as her pup snuggled closer. The Youkai shrugged, "I did." He replied and she glared at him with sharp golden eyes.

"Well, was this your destination?" Sango joined the questioning of Inuyasha's Sensei and he looked away towards something around the corner. _Stop asking questions..._

"As a matter of fact, this was his destination." Yui and Yuiko said at the same time. Sango and Inuyasha stared at them as the girls looked at one anther before continuing, brown eyes concentrated on the young ones in front of them.

"Gakuto is the Healer of The House here at the home of Inu no Taisho." Yuiko said and it took all the patience and respect that the young Inu-Hanyou had learned from the Lionesses to not pull her by her long braid and punch her square in her snout.

"And I was not informed of this, because?" Inuyasha asked and Yoshino intervened by stepping in front of her younger sisters. "Because we were told not to by Gakuto's Lord." She said simply and slowly as if she was speaking to some unintelligent, silly pup. That didn't help much but she knew that the Demonesses only spoke the truth so she chose to glare back at Gakuto.

"So who's this Lord of yours?" She asked and Gakuto almost bolted, her glare was so cold it almost felt as though it penetrated his very being, quite unnerving if you were to ask him.

"The Lord of the House." He repeated Yoshino's words, and they slowly started to sink in.

_The Lord of the House…_

"Lord Sesshomaru?" She shrieked and all eyes were on her, even a few servants who passed by were staring.

"No, no, his _father_, child." Gakuto said as if that was the most known piece of information in Japan.

"And who might his father be?" Sango asked and they heard a cough from behind them and Gakuto looked a bit flustered.

"Inu no Taisho!" Gakuto bowed and so did the three Demonesses next to him. Miroku had turned and said something about 'Great Buddha!' before he passed out into Sango's arms who was trying to bow as well. Inuyasha simply turned to stare into matching golden orbs that seemed to be a bit amused by her defiance. She was not bowing to anyone until she got answers, period.

* * *

"Young one, bow!" Gakuto seethed from his side of the room and Inuyasha simply stared back at the man who had interrupted her conversation. He was powerful, quite obvious by the strong Yoki he emitted and she could tell he deserved respect. The only thing was that he didn't try to overpower her own Yoki and force her to bow or anything. He simply smiled warmly at her before taking account of everyone else in the hall._ Why does he seem so familiar?_

"Who are you, child?" He asked as his eyes wandered her face, she lifted her head up and spoke with a refinement she didn't even know she had within herself.

"Inuyasha, Lord Taisho." She said and bowed then quickly stood up. He smiled, and looked over at Gakuto, who was shaking his head and muttering something along the lines about a spoiled brat, and she had a feeling she knew who this brat was.

"So this is her?" Lord Taisho asked Gakuto and the tiger demon nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground.

Who were they talking about? Were they talking about her? Inuyasha? What about her?

Her confusion must have been easy to notice for Lord Taisho reiterated what he said and directed it to her. "You are the Inu-Hanyou Inuyasha? Am I correct?" He asked and she nodded, the way he talked reminded her a lot of Lord Sesshomaru, which she guessed would be normal if this was his father.

Miroku had finally came to and was now looking as confused as ever as Inuyasha stared at the Daiyoukai.

"Yes I am, what of it?" She asked a bit harshly but the man simply didn't pay any notice or didn't care that she was being rude (on purpose) for he hugged her, his silver hair grazing her face.

"My daughter!" He yelled and Miroku passed out yet again.

* * *

Gakuto was about to **implode**. The child was being so rude to Lord Inu no Taisho. He was about to grab her when his Lord realized it was own his daughter he was finally speaking to. "My daughter!" He exclaimed and Gakuto noticed the Houshi pass out again.

Great Buddha please be with us all.

"My Lord, we were not expecting you for another month or so." Yoshiko said and The Great Dog Lord looked at her in acknowledgement. "That is true, however, my stay was cut short when the problem in the South was solved." He said in a clipped manner, he then focussed his attention on the young Hanyou in his arms. She was mumbling into his shoulder something even Gakuto couldn't quite understand. He was praying that she would stop her incessant rudeness when Lord Inu no Taisho lifted her face up to inspect it.

"Ah, you have your mothers face, child." He said softly as he stroked her hair. "But my eyes and my hair," He continued.

"Is this your natural skin color?" He asked and the girl shook her head. Gakuto decided to interject, "It's from the training, my Lord." He said and his Master nodded.

"So she's pale like Izayoi as well." He said and he almost sounded a bit forlorn.

As the two stood there a few seconds longer, Yui decided to add, "Lord Taisho, what would you like for us to do, sir?" She brushed a short lock of her blonde hair behind her ears as the Taisho looked down at Inuyasha lovingly.

"Please prepare her Royal quarters at once, I would like to introduce her to my son."

* * *

Inuyasha had long since gone limp in the arms of the man who was her father. Why was all of this happening so fast? Nothing that Gakuto had said could have prepared her to actually meet her father. Especially _not _realizing that he was Inu no Taisho. Her mother had told her countless stories of the man, of his strength, power, and intelligence. She would always wonder why her mother looked so at peace when she described the man. Well, now she understood that he was the love her mother had to abandon to care for her. As Inuyasha felt a bit sick to her stomach, she heard her father ask for her Royal quarters to be prepared. Since when did she have her _own_ quarters? Wasn't sleeping in the quarters with the other females enough? She didn't need a whole _wing_ to herself.

She felt like she was about to faint. She couldn't blame Miroku, it was a hell of a lot to take in.

"Lady Inuyasha?" She heard a voice from her side call out to her and she turned to see Yoshino holding her arms open to her. Lord Taisho carefully placed his daughter into the arms of the Demoness and the girl asked her caretaker to bring her bag from her room. The wench nodded, and told her that she would do as asked after she put her down on a bed and she began to walk there quickly with him following right behind them to his sleeping quarters.

It had been far too long since he had last seen her, and ever since he had gotten word from Gakuto that his child had finally arrived home, he had rushed his work in the Southern Lands and got back to his home in an instant. The Taisho was actually a bit nervous on his way there. He had no idea what to expect, for the last time he had seen his child, she was but a newborn pup in her mother's arms.

And there she was, standing in his home, arguing with a group of Youkai and looking just like her mother.

She had quite the temper, he noticed, and was quite amused that she was so defiant even to him. However, she spoke with an eloquence that he knew was taught to her by Izayoi, the way her words flowed and the passion behind them. It was definitely not something Gakuto has taught her. No, the child resembled her mother in quite a few ways. Sesshomaru would definitely be fond of her, even if he wasn't too keen on the idea of her being a Hanyou just yet.

"Send word to my son that his father wishes for his presence in his sleeping quarters." Lord Taisho said softly to Yui and Yuiko after Yoshino had laid his pup down in his bedchambers and gone to retrieve his child's luggage. The Demonesses nodded at his order and left to go fulfill their duty.

Not too long after the two maids had left, he heard Yoshino knock twice upon his sliding door. "You may enter." He called out and the willowy woman gracefully walked in, bowed, and then placed Inuyasha's belonging next to her and took her leave.

"Lord Taisho, I have a letter," Inuyasha said as she rummaged through it. She passed him the century old letter and he smiled warmly at the crisp paper. He remembered exactly when the letter was written, for he was the one who had decided that it even be created and sent with Izayoi as she left the palace with their child.

"You have taken very good care of this." He said and looked at her with kind golden eyes and she blushed at his kind words.

He placed his finger over the spiritual seal and it broke. The child watched in awe as he unfolded it and began to read aloud, "To the Father of Lady Inuyasha,

The birth of the Inu-Hanyou pup Inuyasha has occurred to the Princess Izayoi and to the Lord Inu no Taisho. Due to her Hanyou blood, she will be targeted by many in the Royal court of the Great General, and therefore, her birthright of becoming the heir to the Western Lands shall be hidden. The child shall be raised by her mother so long as she deems fit. She shall then be trained by the Great Warrior Gakuto until she turns the age of Two-Hundred. Only then will she be allowed back and bestowed her birthright, for she will then be powerful enough to protect herself and house of Inu Taisho." He finished and as he looked down for a signature he smiled,

"Signed Totosai, the Sword-smith Youkai." He glanced over at his daughter and she breathed in, not even noticing that she had been holding her breath, she had always wondered what that damned letter would say.

"What-what does that mean?" She asked and he scooted closer to her on his bed.

"It means you are the Lady of the West." Sesshomaru's said as he closed the sliding door behind him and glanced at his father before resting his eyes upon Inuyasha, who was now sitting up.

She glanced between the two Inu-Daiyoukai and could see the tension between the two. Sesshomaru looked pissed and her father looked a bit anxious.

"I knew she looked familiar, Otousan. Why had I not been warned that she would be arriving? Her quarters would have been prepared immediately." He asked and his father glared at him. "You already understand how risky that would have been. People would have been asking questions about why her quarters were even being touched, my son." He replied but Sesshomaru didn't look sated.

"That still does not defeat the fact that she was here and I was none the wiser. If I am to be heir to the West, should I not be able to practice my authoritative right? I should have been able to welcome my younger sister home, not have her demonstrating her combat skills in the barracks!" He seethed, his marks had stretched out across his face and his amber-colored eyes were flashing to red.

Inu no Taisho sighed and glanced over to Inuyasha and almost jumped up.

She was no longer in the bed, instead, she was making her way over to her brother.

_**Calm. Soothe. Submit.**_

She placed her small hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes, "**Oniisama, I am here now. I am safe, I am happy. Please, calm down.**" She said in the most soothing voice she could muster. She could tell he was still a bit upset so she continued, "**Niisan, I'm fine, you have done your best to make me feel at home.**" She said rubbing her thumbs across his markings.

He finally closed his eyes and then reopened them to look at her. His eyes were back to normal and his markings were as well.

He sighed and looked away. "I apologize." He said before turning around and leaving. Inuyasha was confused, so she stood there a second more before her father approached her and placed a strong hand on her shoulder firmly.

"Sesshomaru is not accustomed to revealing his emotions. He would much rather like to hide them, so almost changing into his Youkai form is a sign of weakness to him." He shook his head but then looked down at her, "I am proud that you were able to calm him down, Inuyasha. Only I have been able to do that." He grinned as he watched her blush.

"Arigato." She said softly.

* * *

**The reason why Inuyasha's words are bold when she speaks ****to Sesshomaru is because her inner Youkai had come out a bit to soothe him.**

**Why? Well we shall see... Kehehehe! **

**And didn't I say Shippo would be back! ^-^**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

* * *

Sesshomaru continued to walk swiftly through the corridors of the palace, nodding his acknowledgement to servants and maids as they bowed quickly in his presence, until he reached the kitchen exit. He made sure that no one would see him, he was simply not in the mood for any questioning glances. Not that he was obliged to say anything, he was just not in the mood to interact with them, may it be actually responding or even acknowledging their presence. The cook, Hyousuke, occupied himself with preparing a feast to welcome back Lord Inu no Taisho and to introduce Inuyasha to the staff.

As the regal young Lord made his way outside and into the gardens, he felt the presence of another behind him. "Yes?" He asked and he heard them shuffle before reaching his side. "Lord Sesshomaru," The voice of his younger sister was so soft she almost sounded scared. If it were under any other normal circumstances, he would have been proud that his presence caused another to fear him, for he was Sesshomaru, Killing Perfection.

However, when it came from her, it made something within him (namely his Inner Youkai) want to stroke her face and calm her nerves, the same way she had done for him. But he wouldn't do that, for that would display weakness, so he simply turned to face her. "Lady Inuyasha." He acknowledged in a way that said that she could continue with what she had to say. He noticed her eyes dart to his face when he called her a Lady, but that was what she was, was she not? "Y-yes, I just wanted to apologize If I had done anything to upset you earlier, you left so quickly I thought that you may have been a bit unhappy with me for some reason." She said softly and began to play with her fingers to distract her so she wouldn't have to look at his face.

He was a bit nerve-wracking if she was being honest with herself. She had sniffed him out and decided that maybe she should apologize to him even though their father had said she did nothing wrong. "It was no you who had caused this Sesshomaru such exasperation. It was father himself." He said simply and he turned again, the wind blowing his silky hair in the opposite direction, giving her a better look at the ivory skin on his neck and collarbone, the movement of his Adam's Apple as he swallowed, the soft curve of his chin. She was almost lost in gazing upon the beautiful man before she realized she was staring and felt quite rude.

She coughed and looked away in embarrassment towards the large marble fountain his eyes were so infatuated with.

"Why did father upset you?" She asked and she almost thought she heard him sigh before he looked at her. It was then that she realized the height difference between them, she reached his chest, almost his torso, he had to look down at her before he could even see the top of her head. "Our father should have told me that your presence was expected here at the palace," He began, his voice devoid of any emotion, "I feel as though he did not trust such information with this Sesshomaru. However the reasoning behind such distrust is beyond my comprehension." He concluded and began to walk towards the fountain which had marble benches surrounded by a large wall made of a large shrub that was clipped to curve around the entire sculpture. It was quite the hidden spot to talk, she could tell he wanted privacy to continue their conversation.

As they both sat down, she stared at the entrance they had just walked through and saw the small, white _Kuchinashi_ flowers woven in an arc. She remembered vaguely her mother telling her about the language of flowers, and if she remembered correctly, the _Kuchinashi_ (Gardenia) represented secret love. She blushed as she looked at her elder brother and saw that he was watching her.

"I-I apologize, I was lost in thought," She said and saw his eyes fill with amusement. "Anyways, I believe that Otousan did not mean that he doubted you in any way. Yes, I have only known him for about a few hours, however, it is easy to tell that he trusts you a great deal. I believe that telling you about me was just something he skipped over." She said and he sighed, this time out loud, and looked towards the flowers.

"I believe you are correct." He said and she nodded and clasped her hands together. He was really upset about that whole situation.

"Might I ask how you knew what would calm this Sesshomaru earlier this evening?" He asked and caught her off guard. She hadn't really been thinking earlier when she walked towards him, it just seemed right, like her instincts had told her what to do. He must have been able to tell that she was beginning to get flustered because he placed his hand on her head, rubbing her sensitive dog ears. She leaned in to his touch and began to purr in contentment before he let his hand fall to the side. "I truly believe we have been acquainted before." He whispered, leaning his face close to her ear, his lips brushing against the soft organ, causing her to shudder.

He was _so_ close.

"M-my Lord, I think I should head inside, my companions haven't seen me since earlier this evening." She stuttered and stood quickly, walking away even though she knew he could tell she was flustered. _That was so not fair!_ She thought to herself. _The bastard can't just go around breathing his hot breath on every person he thinks he's met before!_ She stomped away and was far out of his vicinity when he began to chuckle.

She truly was quite the cute little Hanyou.

* * *

Shippo was playing in the courtyard with a few of the young chambermaids because after he had met Rin, Lord Sesshomaru's charge earlier that day, he learned she couldn't be outside due to her being sick. Shippo understood that humans were quite frail so he couldn't help but wonder why Inuyasha full demon older brother would want to care for such a fragile being.

As he began to think harder, he heard the jingling of Miroku's staff, and turned to see the monk flirting with a few of the maidens. Rolling his emerald-green eyes, the pup walked over and pulled at the Houshi's robes. "_Miroku_!" He whined and a few of the Youkai women took the chance to flee away from the perverted Houshi. "Ah, not now young one, do you not see that I am in the company of a beautiful woman?" He asked and Shippo couldn't help but feel bad for her not being able to get away.

_Man, oh man is Miroku annoying._

As Shippo stared daggers into Miroku's back, he smelled a familiar wolf demon approach them from the side.

"Shinya, you may leave now." Kouga said and the swan demoness bowed and hurriedly walked away. Upon her departure, Miroku turned to glare at Kouga who simply looked at him as if he was stupid. "What was that for!" Miroku exclaimed, gripping his staff. Shippo would have laughed if he didn't sense the tension between the two. "She has much more important things to do besides being in your presence, monk." Kouga replied abruptly and turned to walk away before Miroku shouted at him. _There goes being a pacifist or whatever._ Shippo thought and hopped on top of Miroku's shoulder, who vaguely acknowledged the small Kitsune.

As the two began to argue, Shippo sighed and slunk against the Houshi.

_These two never change._

* * *

Sango was walking with Gakuto, having a conversation about the banquet being held for Inuyasha and her father. He had happily told her everything about the entire situation, including why she had to be kept away for about two centuries from her father and her brother and what that would mean now.

"So she really is the new Lady of the West?" Sango asked and Gakuto nodded slightly before looking at her with his green eyes and said, "Well she is the second heir to the Western Lands after Sesshomaru. Should anything happen to their father and his mother, he will take over. If something then were to happen to him, Inuyasha would be next in line if he doesn't have any pups or a mate by then." Sango then nodded in understanding. "She's probably so scared right now." The Taijiya said, looking up at the waning crescent moon. _Yes, especially with the new moon on the way._

"I wouldn't worry too much about her. She has you, Miroku, Shippo, and myself and now she has a father and a brother to look after her and support her as well." Gakuto glanced at her and smiled, his perfectly straight teeth gleaming and she would have almost thought him to be human had she not remembered he had fangs and was about a thousand years old. He definitely didn't look it. As a matter of fact, he looked about the same age as Sesshomaru or Kouga.

At the thought of Kouga, the Taijiya then heard the wolf Prince and another male who she automatically recognized as Miroku, arguing in the courtyard. She saw Gakuto shaking his head and she almost copied him. T_hose two will never stop arguing with one another._

"Sango!" She heard Shippo yell her name and saw the little fur ball pouncing in her direction on all fours. He jumped into her arms and began to tell them about why the two were fighting. Apparently, the monk (like always) was harassing a few of the maids that worked there and Kouga had intervened. Sango was infuriated with the monk for wanting to argue with the wolf demon, Kouga had done nothing wrong.

"Houshi-san!" She shouted before leaping in the air and kicking him in the side of his head, causing him to fall back and then slide to a stop not to far from where she was now standing. "Lady Sango! W-why did you kick me!" He exclaimed while cradling the side of his now foot-printed face. She 'Hmphed' and looked back at Kouga who was now smirking smugly.

He was _so_ handsome, the way his now much longer hair fell down his back in a wavy ponytail and the way his blue eyes shone with so much determination. She had to admit, albeit in her head, that she had a crush on the Prince.

"That's what you get, you friggin' hentai Monk." He said and turned to face Sango who had just been joined by Gakuto. "Sorry about all the yelling, but damn it, he really needs to learn how to keep to himself." He grumbled and started to walk away, most likely to get back to whatever he was doing before he was interrupted by the Houshi.

Before he left he turned and smiled at Sango and thanked her for her teamwork.

She internally exploded and wanted to scream to the top of her lungs that Kouga had given her praise. As she clasped her hands, she didn't notice that Gakuto was looking at her the same way she normally looked at Kouga: _longingly_.

* * *

After Houshi-san had gotten up and wiped off the dirt on his robes, he sighed and glared at Sango before sighing once again. He knew she really liked Kouga, but for Buddha's sake she didn't have to side with him all the time.

Miroku really was starting to dislike the Youkai more and more.

As he made his way into the dining hall, he was glad that there weren't that many people present besides a few servers and guards. Other than that, he was alone to look around at the many portraits of Inu-Daiyoukai, whom he presumed were all ancestors and family members of Lord Sesshomaru and (now) Inuyasha.

The hall was relatively big, big enough to house at least three to four thousand people comfortably. The long table was covered in a lace table sheet and was faultlessly cleaned. The entire room was white, including the marble floor his sandaled feet were walking upon. There were four large crystal chandeliers that emitted a faint purple glow. He supposed the light came from some enchantment or something.

There was also a large staircase that was carpeted with a soft-looking magenta fur that elegantly rolled to a stop at the end and continued until the very first step. The staircase itself was made out of ivory and looked like it illuminated itself.

In other words, the dining hall was spectacular, but Miroku just wanted to sit and maybe get a glass of some Sake.

"Ah, Miroku!" He heard Hyousuke, the cook, come through the large, golden kitchen doors with a bottle of Sake in one hand and a Sake cup in the other. He supposed that he could hear the argument with Kouga and himself from the kitchen window and assumed Miroku would come inside for a drink.

Well, he assumed correctly.

"Hyousuke-san, how very kind of you!" He said and smiled at the young Tanuki-Daiyoukai. He looked very human besides his gray and black tail that he had wrapped around his waist. He wore simple clothing, the cook's outfit, which was a white kimono underneath a white _haori_ and white _obi_. He wore white bottoms and his feet were covered in _tabi_ and _geta_.

He had deep gray eyes that shimmered with pride and his hair was a deep black color and in a high bun. According to Gakuto, Hyousuke was relatively new, but everyone at the palace enjoyed his cooking and excepted him and his bright personality with open arms. Especially his mate and elder twin brother, Hyouta, the Chief of Entertainment, (composes the parties and banquets for Lord Inu no Taisho) who had helped persuade Hyousuke to apply for the job.

"Of course, Houshi-sama, I heard the little quarrel between yourself and Prince Kouga, I apologize for eavesdropping, but it sounds as though you are having love problems." He poured Miroku a cup and placed it down neatly in front of him along with a loaf of bread which he had in his sleeve. Miroku almost choked on air, "Love problems? Oh no, you must be mistaken! Kouga and I have never been nor ever will be in love!" He yelled, mostly in shock that Hyousuke had even gathered that from the argument. Wasn't it obvious that Miroku was flirting with the maids? Not Kouga? Why would he even be interested in Kouga? All he ever did was call him a Hentai and bother him constantly. Miroku was also under the impression that Kouga had his eyes set on Inuyasha, the thought instantly calming his nerves.

_Kouga loves Inuyasha._ He thought, but somehow, he felt like he was forcing himself to believe that.

"Oh, I apologize! I simply thought that you both were mated or in some sort of relationship because of the way he reacted to your deviant actions toward the chambermaids. He seemed extremely jealous if you were to ask me." Hyousuke murmured the last part and Miroku almost fainted.

_Jealous? Of what?_

"Hyousuke-san, may I have the entire bottle?" Miroku asked and Hyousuke smiled nervously before handing him the brown gourd.

"Please do not drink too much, Houshi san, the banquet will be at midnight and I understand that you are a close friend of the Lady Inuyasha, you should be there for your friend." He said before walking back inside the kitchen.

Miroku nodded at Hyousuke's back before knocking another cup of Sake into his mouth and swallowed. "Woah is me." He said before slumping into the large, plush chair.

* * *

_Form does not differ from the void, and the void does not differ from the form. Form is the void, and the void is form. The same is true for feelings, conceptions, impulses and consciousness._ Inuyasha inhaled and then exhaled as she felt herself being dressed. She was nervous, and if she didn't have as much practice with self-control, she knew she would have been fidgeting and biting her nails like she used to do when she was a very young pup. As she was told to sit down in from of the large oval-shaped mirror in front of her, she felt the Yoshino pull her hair over the seat and began to detangle it with a comb and Yuiko patting down the occasional fly away with a _sakura_ scented oil.

_In the void there are no forms and no feelings, conceptions, impulses and no consciousness. _She continued the mantra as the lioness Youkai maids began to brush her hair back into the _t__aregami_ hairstyle, parting it down the middle and letting her hair loose. Yui paid special attention to her bangs, making sure they were parted and brushed neatly. When they were done, the three of them looked at her and smiled, Yoshino pulling a black box from within her kimono sleeves.

"Your mother wanted you to use this when you became accepted here at the palace." She said warmly and passed the item to the young Inu-Hanyou.

_You will not cry, Inuyasha. You are not going to friggin' cry._ Inuyasha blinked back tears as she placed her small fingers over the spiritual seal and watched as it disappeared. She opened it slowly, and couldn't contain the gasp she let out.

Inside of the box was a pallet of lip rouge, white face powder, and a golden comb with pearls encrusted into the body.

She couldn't hold back the sob that escaped her lips as she took the comb out and inspected it. She remembered her mother used to wear it regularly, or used to have it on her person at all times. Inuyasha could still _smell_ the oils she used in her hair on the item. "I cannot use this." She whispered and Yuiko looked at her in disbelief. "Your mother left it for you to wear, child." She said and Yoshino nodded, "It is yours." She added and Inuyasha shook her head.

She couldn't wear it, it still smelled like her mother, she wasn't going to taint her Kaachan's essence with her own smell. She would simply keep the item until her mother's scent slowly vanished. "It still smells like her." She said quietly and she watched as the three maids slowly understood what she meant. Yes, it was hers, but it was _not_ to be used. However, the makeup on the other hand she wasn't against using, at least not for that night. "Yoshino, I need your help." She said, and as quick as she said her name, the maid was next to her and getting ready to paint her lips.

* * *

Inuyasha looked in the mirror and felt her cheeks grow warm. She looked stunning, if she were to say so herself. Yoshino, Yui, and Yuiko had helped her into two _Nagajuban. _The first, inner layer was white and the second was gold with floral printing and tied with the_ datemaki_ (under-obi) to keep them tightly held together. The kimono she wore over it was embroidered with silk and gold creating leaves and flowers along the hem of her long sleeves. It was tied into a large bow in the back with a gold _obi. _Her small feet were fitted into custom _zori_ and her toenails lacquered with gold polish to match her slightly filed claws.

Her lips were rouged, and she decided not to use the face powder since she actually felt comfortable in her own skin. The only other makeup she wore was the gold thinly painted on her eyelids to match her nails.

_I feel like a princess._ She thought and turned to find the women bowing. "My Lady, you look breathtaking." They said altogether and she bowed back. "You three have helped me get here, if it wasn't for you, I don't know where I would be right now." She said, bringing herself back up to watch the tears flow down her caretakers' eyes. She loved them, they were like three separate mothers, and she knew that they would always be there for her.

They all smiled at one another and decided that they should wait to cry since it did take a mighty long time to get Inuyasha prepared, and they _definitely _weren't doing her up all over again.

* * *

As Sesshomaru made his way out of his changing room, he smelled the excitement all around the palace. Word had spread that Lord Inu no Taisho's daughter had been at the palace for more than a week and that she was to have a banquet held in her honor. With his hands tucked into his sleeves, the Inu-Daiyoukai made his way to the banquet hall, finding Jaken and Rin arguing about some petty banter.

He inwardly rolled his eyes and watched as Rin puffed out her cheeks and began to ignore the toad. Jaken noticed Sesshomaru and began to try to cheer her up before he reached them but he knew that his Master already noticed that he had angered the young human child. "What is the meaning of this foolishness, Jaken?" Sesshomaru asked, glaring at him with his ice-cold stare. Jaken gulped and looked between his Lord and the young child. "My Lord! The girl simply wouldn't wait for you before she decided to meet the Lady Inuyasha! She went to her chambers and spied on her as she was dressing!" Jaken stated and looked pretty smug as he crossed his arms and stared at Rin who was now more than flustered. Sesshomaru sighed and looked at the girl who was now looking up at him as well. "I heard that she was very pretty and I wanted to see for myself, Lord Sesshomaru." She said and he nodded.

"Did Lady Inuyasha know that you were spying, Rin?" Sesshomaru asked, teasing the little girl. She nodded and grinned, reaching in to her purple hakama and pulling out a red ribbon. "She told me to tie this in my hair and that when I grow up, I'll be just as beautiful as her." Rin's grin deepened as she tied her shoulder length hair into a ponytail and she stuck her tongue out at Jaken before bowing to Lord Sesshomaru. "Your sister is very nice." She added and began to skip away towards Inuyasha's group of friends.

_That she is. _Sesshomaru thought and began to walk in the opposite direction. He knew his father would want him to be there with him and his sister when she walked inside, and he wasn't one to disappoint.

* * *

Inuyasha was nervous, Yoshino had shown her to her father's room and was told that everyone was now in the banquet hall, waiting for her. She had also learned from the little human girl, Rin, that Sesshomaru would be joining her. The girl was sweet and trusting and had called her beautiful, she had caught the girl's scent from the outside of her door and told her to come inside.

**{ Flashback }**

"Come in, child." Inuyasha said, smelling a human girl from behind her sliding door. The three demonesses recognized the child and told Inuyasha that she was Sesshomaru's human charge that he had saved from death on one of his travels outside of the palace. She was a bit jealous that the child had been cared for by her brother, but she simply couldn't be mad at her for something she couldn't control. "Rin, is it?" She asked when the small girl walked up to her, her little purple _hakama _flowing as she walked (not too gracefully) to where the Hanyou stood. "Yes, my Lady. I've heard that you are my Lord's sister, you sure are beautiful!" She exclaimed and smiled. Inuyasha felt flattered, and leaned to look face to face at her. "You are beautiful too." She said and the girl pouted and looked away, her brown eyes focussed on the screen of the paper walls. "What's wrong, child? Do you doubt my words?" Inuyasha asked and placed a hand on the child's arm. The little girl shook her head and looked back at her with large, honest eyes. "No, my Lady, I just know that I will never be as pretty as you." She said and pouted again.

Inuyasha wasn't used to young human girls and their feelings. She had never felt like she looked inferior to anyone in her whole life, even when she looked upon her mother. Possibly because she knew that one day she would have the chance of looking like her. Looking down at her own wrists, Inuyasha eyed the two ribbons tied around them and suddenly got an idea.

"Rin, do you believe in magic?" She asked and the girl suddenly looked excited and nodded her head so fast, Inuyasha thought her head would fall off.

"Well, if you tie this in your hair," She said as she untied the ribbon on her right wrist and held the child's hands open, "One day, you will be just as beautiful as me, maybe even more so." She smiled softly as the girl looked awestruck.

_Man is she cute._

"Now, I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru is worried about your whereabouts." Inuyasha said as the girl placed the ribbon in her sleeve. She simply nodded and bowed before skipping away and waving.

**{ End Flashback }**

When she thought about it, the little girl reminded her a little bit of herself when she was young. Curious, trusting, honest. She just hoped the title girl wouldn't trust everyone she thought was 'Pretty'. Sighing, Inuyasha turned when she heard her father enter the large room and soon after, Sesshomaru followed.

When he gazed upon her, she felt her heart quicken, and she couldn't help but stare back, hands clasped in front of her. "Sesshomaru will walk you in with myself at the front as we enter. We will both say a speech, everyone will bow to you and you will bow back. Do you understand?" Her father said softly as he gazed at her with his hands in the white sleeves of his kimono, the purple floral detail along the shoulders and hem matching Sesshomaru's. She nodded and he smiled. "Let us be on our way then." He said and walked through the sliding door and turned to his right. Sesshomaru followed, but kept his pace a bit slower so that she could keep up with him in her _zori._

_"_You look divine." Sesshomaru commented, looking over at her with his face unreadable. She saw the faintest hint of a smirk and felt herself blush again.

_How does he do that?_

"You don't look half bad yourself." She said in a teasing manner and she heard her father stifle a chuckle, choosing to cough into his _tamoto_ sleeve instead.

"Is that so?" Sesshomaru asked, keeping his eyes in front of him as they got closer to the banquet hall entrance.

She nodded and heard him shift beside her and felt his tail wrap around her waist and pull her towards him. He then leaned into her and placed his face close to her very, _very _sensitive ears and whispered, "Do my looks not please you, _Imouto_?" She shivered, and felt something pool from the pit of her stomach, but before she could reply, he had unwrapped his tail from her and let it wind itself back onto his shoulder. "Are you two ready?" Her father turned to ask and Sesshomaru nodded, answering for them both, receiving a glare from his younger Hanyou sibling.

_As ready as I could possibly be with this pervert next to me._ Inuyasha thought, and held her hands to her face to feel her cheeks burning up.

This was going to be _embarrassing._

* * *

**So, how was it? Please review, favorite, and follow! I also read all my personal messages, so feel free to go ahead!**


	10. A Mini-Glossary of Sorts

**Hey, it's Ally! I've realized (thanks to a very kind reviewer) that a lot of the Japanese terms I use in the story may or may not be familiar to some people, so I've provided you lovelies with a glossary of sorts of some of the words that I have used so far or may use in the future:**

* * *

_Geta_ \- Sandals made with elevated wood supports. Men's geta are square, women's are more oval and are called komageta.

_Setta_ \- A flat, thick bottomed sandal made of bamboo bark and straw with leather soles.

_Waraji_ \- A traveler's sandal, made of straw and bamboo bark and designed to wrap securely around the wearer's foot and up around the ankle.

_Zori _\- A dressy, oval, short heeled sandal consisting of either straw or lacquered wood and thong straps made of fine fabric, typically silk. While being worn, the wearer should notice their last two toes hanging over the zori. This is normal. Notice the traditional heel, do NOT get caught up in modern zori images if working with historically accurate material.

_Tabi_ \- Split-toed (separate big toe from the rest) socks which originally tied around the ankle (no clips). Normally white in color. Designed to allow the wearer to slip into shoes. The interior fabric is highly durable to handle the wear and tear of daily use. Taller tabi, still originally tied shut, are called jika-tabi.

_Yukata and Kimono_ \- The general garb of choice. Always visible from one perspective or another. Kimono are usually fancier and festive, yukata are everyday wear and normally lighter in fabric with less layers.

_Types of Juban_ \- Anything with the word juban in it implies the fact that this garment is worn under something else. A nagajuban is like a yukata, but a little longer and worn underneath. A hadajuban means that it's a juban (ex: nagajuban) which directly touches the skin, taking the soiling in place of the rest of the outfit. A hanjuban is a half-length nagajuban, a little below the waist in length.

_Fundoshi/Yumoji_ \- These are underwear. Fundoshi come in many styles and are normally worn by men. Yumoji are for women, but don't really do much for the wearer.

_Sarashi_ \- A long strip of white cloth, it is normally used to bind the breasts and create a more slim figure, which is desired for a kimono.

_Shakujou_ \- A traveler's staff, typically wood but may be fully mental, topped with a metal ornament and may possess a series of rings, which are used for different reasons depending on the user's background in Buddhism. (Miroku's staff)

_Kazaana - _Miroku's wind tunnel.

_Japa mala_ \- A chain of beads, japa mala are commonly used by Hindus and Buddhists. The typical number of beads is normally 108, but may vary (usually divisible by 9). (Wrapped around Miroku's right hand)

_Sode_ \- Shoulder armor, but Sesshomaru's is highly specialized. Also known as 'pauldron'.

_Do_ \- The torso armor. Also known as cuirass.

_Kusazuri_ \- Waist armor. Also known as 'faulds'

"Fur" - Commonly referred to as '_mokumoku_', in other words, Sesshomaru's tail or even Inu-Taisho's tails.

_Hitoe_ \- Imagine a kimono that's too long in every direction... It sticks out at the sleeves, shows at the front, and is the layer to trail on the floor behind the wearer. It's fancy, but int's a sacrificial piece and will take all the wear of walking around.

_Kinu_ (or _uchiki_ or _istu-ginu_) - Thin, large, kimono-like layers. There can be several layers depending on one's status, (Izayoi wears three).

_Ko-uchigi_ \- The final touch, this layer is of very high worth and usually made of the finest of material.

_Sake -_ An alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice. Sake is sometimes called "rice wine" but the brewing process is more akin to beer.

_Matcha - _Literally, "powdered tea" - is a special type of green tea: a precious, jewel-green powder that is whisked with hot water in a bowl to make a frothy beverage of the same name. Preparation of _matcha_ is the focus of the Japanese tea ceremony and has a long association with Zen.

_Arigato - _A way of saying thanks.

_Hanakotoba - _The Japanese form of the language of flowers. In this practice plants were given codes and passwords. Physiological effects and action under the color of the flowers, put into words the impressions of nature and the presence of thorns with the height of tall plants, flowers and garlands of flowers through the various types. Meant to convey emotion and communicate directly to each other without needing the use of words.

_Hai -_ "Yes."

_Hakama_ \- A type of traditional Japanese clothing. They were originally worn only by men, but today they are worn by both sexes. _Hakama_ are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. _Hakama_ are worn over a kimono (_hakamashita_).

_Tamoto - _Hanging sleeves.

_Hentai - _In Japanese, the word _hentai_ is a kanji compound of 変 (_hen_ meaning "change" "weird" or "strange") and 態 (_tai_ meaning "attitude" or "appearance"). The term is used as a shortened form of the phrase 変態性欲 (_hentai seiyoku_), or "sexual perversion". In slang, 変態 (_hentai_) is used as an insult meaning roughly "pervert" or "weirdo".

* * *

**Japanese honorifics**

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_**-chan**_ \- cute; baby talk. Children who grow up together may keep using the -chan honorific into close friends and relatives, especially female ones.

_**-kun - **_familiar title after name of colleague or student, usually male. Used for male friends and relatives. It can be used for women as well, but typically is not.

_**-san**__ -_ Mr., Ms., Mrs., Miss.; The suffix denoting that the person being spoken to is of equal or nearly equal social status. It is not used for people you know well.

_**-sama**_** \- **[formal] Mr., Ms., Mrs., Miss. Infromal use befor is sam- or san-.; Very high respect. Not normally used with other people's names, but it can be. Usually used with a title.

_**Sempai**__ \- _one's senior (colleague, fellow student).; Upperclassman, or more generally somebody in the same social class but superior to you (ex, 'Kunou-sempai')

_**Kohai**__ -_one's junior (colleague, fellow student); Underclassman, or more generally somebody in the same social class but inferior to you. Unlike sempai, kohai is very seldom used as an honorific - generally 'chan' or 'kun' is substituted.

_**-Sensei**__ -_Teacher.

_**Kojin**__ -_an individual.

_**Onna - **_woman, female.

* * *

**TERMS OF FAMILARITY**

**English to Japanese (less formal)**

* * *

**Grandfather - **_Sofu_ (_mine-sofu_) or _Ojiisan_ (general term for elder men)

**Grandmother - **_Sobo_ (_mine-sobo_) or _Obaasan_ (general term for elder women)

**Uncle - **_Oji_ (_mine-oji_) or _Ojisan_ (general term for middle-aged men)

**Aunt - **_Oba_ (_mine-oba_) or _Obasan_ (general term for middle-aged women)

**Big Brother - **_Ani (mine-ani), Oniisan, Oniisama, Oniichan, Niisan, Niichan, Aniki,_ etc.

**Big Sister - **_Ane (mine-ane), Oneesan, Oneesama, Oneechan, Neesan, Neechan, Aneki,_ etc.

**Little Brother - **_Otouto_ (never used with "_chan_" or "_kun_", except for the purpose to look down on him), "_Otouto-san_" is used when talking about other person's brother.

**Little Sister - **_Imouto_ (never used with "_cha_n" or "_kun_", except purpose to look down on her), "_Imouto-san_" is used when talk about other person's sister.

**Father - **_Chichi_ _(mine-chichi), Otousan, Tousan, Oyaji, Touchan, Papa,_ etc.

**Mother - **_Haha (mine-haha), Okaasan, Kaasan, Ofukuro, Kaachan, Mama,_ etc.

**Brother - **_Otoko no kyodai;_ (in general term) _Kyoudai_.

**Brothers and Sisters - **_Kyodai_

**Brother/Sister-in-law - **Same as Big/Little Brother/Sister above, but use different kanji (read the same) Children often call strangers by the above family member terms, depending on what family member they consider the stranger in question old enough to be (with the obvious exceptions of otou-san and okaa-san - like in most other places, you don't call anybody but your parents and perhaps your in-laws 'mom' and 'dad'). A good general age range would be:

_**Ojii-san/Obaa-san**_** \- **above 60.

_**Oji-san/Oba-san**_** \- **between 25 and 60, although this may vary depending on how old one's parents' siblings are.

_**Onii-san/Onee-san(Pronounced Oh-Nay-San)**_** \- **Younger than 25 but older than you. Generally, this doesn't vary all that much.

_**Otouto/Imouto -**_Younger than you.

To not use an honorific means one of two things; either contempt for the person to whom you're speaking, or else it implies that you share a _**very**_ close relationship with said person. Also note that the terms for big/little brother and sister are often used as terms of affection for close friends whose relationship with you roughly approximates that of a big or little brother or sister.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading, I hope that helped a bit and didn't confuse you guys, I had to find **_**all**_** the websites I used and this document loader simply won't let me put in any links, ****anyways****, I **_**will**_** be updating the story soon, **_**mata ne!**_


	11. Chapter 9

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

* * *

**Warning: This chapter will have a slight Lemon, _you have been warned._ **

* * *

Sango was sitting at the long table, dressed in a light blue kimono with pink butterflies and sakura blossoms embroidered around the lower half of it with a matching pink obi. She had tied her long brown hair into a top knot, leaving her bangs as they were. The serving maids that had helped her change and fitted her for a pair of custom zori. When she had asked why she couldn't change herself or wear any of the clothes that she had brought, she learned that Inuyasha had insisted that Sango, Miroku, Shippo and even Kirara be pampered just as much as her. This caused Sango to feel even more appreciative of her friend.

"They should be coming out soon." Gakuto whispered to her. He had worn a bronze kimono with a red hakama. _It really brings out his eyes._ She thought as she gazed at him. "Yes, I heard Hyouta say that the whole ceremony isn't really that long. It's just introducing her as a new part of the family, then Lord Inu-Taisho and Lord Sesshomaru will each say a speech, she'll bow and then we will all bow as well. Then **bam**, it'll be done and we can all proceed to stuffing our faces and then getting some rest." Miroku said, adding to the conversation. He was a bit drunk but she could tell that he was really excited for their friend, judging by the way he was leaning on his staff, it took a whole lot out of him to try and act sober.

As she stared at the Houshi, she felt Gakuto nudge her with his elbow and she turned to see what he wanted. "Look." He said.

All movement stopped and conversations ended as the large, brass doors opened to reveal the regal father of Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. His head was held high, his shoulders back and his back straight, his long silver ponytail moved with each powerful stride. Everyone stared as he walked down the steps, Sesshomaru looking just as composed and dignified. They wore similar kimono and even had the same facial expression. However, it was easy to see who was the most easy-going. Lord Inu-Taisho had a playful smirk on his face while Sesshomaru looked completely devoid of emotion. His eyes didn't even reveal not the faintest bit of any emotion the Taijiya would have thought to see, which confused her a bit.

Was he that much of a pompous ass that he couldn't even show that he was happy for his own sister? Did he have some problem with her? 'Maybe its the whole Hanyou thing.' Sango thought and shook her head in disbelief. Then again, maybe she was just overreacting, which she tended to do.

"Lady Sango, here comes Lady Inuyasha." Gakuto whispered in her ear. She almost squealed when she noticed the beautiful Hanyou with her long, silver hair flowing behind her, her eyes like liquid gold, warm and inviting as she eyed the entire room before gazing upon Sango herself. She smiled and then continued to look on at the wide eyes and open mouths.

She looked so gorgeous, she could even see that she had painted her lips and put on a bit of makeup, which to Sango, wasn't really necessary since she was already beautiful. But she guessed the evening was really special, so who cared.

_"Isn't she just stunning."_

_"Inu-Taisho must be very proud."_

_"She is a great addition to his family."_

She heard male voices all around her begin to chatter with one another and even heard females complementing her friend. It was causing quite the commotion, and she could tell her friend heard every single word. Inuyasha looked pretty flustered, she didn't take compliments very well.

As the two Inu-Daiyoukai and Inu-Hanyou made their way to the final step, Sesshomaru and Lord Inu-Taisho faced her on the left side while another Youkai joined them in the middle.

"It has come to our understanding that Lord Inu-Taisho and Lord Sesshomaru have wished to inaugurate a new member to their noble family. She has shown unmatched talent in combat, in politics, in the arts, and even in normal conversations within the past two weeks that she has been here. She has a captivating personality and even though no person, nor Youkai, was under the impression that she was of noble blood, we have all become quite fond of this Lady Inuyasha. She will bear strong pups and be a strong compliment to whomever is lucky enough to be her mate." The Youkai bowed in her direction and then looked to the two male Daiyoukai next to him. "My Lords, it is time to begin." He said and Lord Inu-Taisho nodded and placed his hands over Inuyasha's who were now outstretched and facing the ground.

"I embrace you as my child." He began and Sango saw all the love that filled his eyes as he looked upon his daughter. "I confirm that you are my second heir. I promise to protect you, my child, with_ all_ of the power within my being. I accept you, Lady Inuyasha, as the second heir to the Western Lands. On my honor, you shall be provided for and sheltered, for as long as I shall live." He then kissed both of her hands and placed her left in his right and Sesshomaru stepped in and held his father's hand as well as hers, forming a small circle.

"This Sesshomaru welcomes you as his sister, an essential constituent to his own being. It is my duty to honor you and help you grow as a part of this family and to protect you from those who may want to inflict harm. I accept you, Lady Inuyasha, as my sister and the second heir to the Western Lands. On my honor, I shall be your trustworthy counterpart for as long as I shall live." He then kissed both her cheeks and then the other Youkai said a few things and went through a few motions before they the trio bowed to him and turned to face the rest of the room.

We all bowed and then they bowed as well. Sango noticed as Inuyasha stood up, that she had a faint rosiness to her cheeks and the Taijiya couldn't help but chuckle. However, she did feel a bit uneasy about Lord Sesshomaru, he really didn't seem up to the whole ceremony. She wondered if maybe he was sick or something.

"That was quite the ceremony!" The drunk Houshi whisper-yelled when everyone began to start talking again or walk towards the dining table which was being loaded with an array of delicious foods for all of the Youkai and humans in attendance.

Sango couldn't help but agree with him. "Did you notice that Lord Sesshomaru sounded completely indifferent the entire time? I swear to Kami the man has no warmth in his body." Kouga said so quietly, Sango almost questioned whether he had opened his mouth to say anything at all. However, by the look on Gakuto's face, he probably did.

"You **dare** insult the Master's son?" Gakuto seethed. Kouga shrugged, looking away from the older Youkai's face. "He's a freaking block of ice. He has no feelings at all. That speech was supposed to sound loving and genuine, he simply sounded like some undead, listless, pretentious _liar_." Kouga spat with his arms crossed and Gakuto shook his head furiously, almost whipping his hair out of the loose bun it was in. "You hold your tongue, Wolf Prince. For I am much more patient and lenient than either Lords. What right do you have to speak with such mutiny?" He asked and Kouga simply rolled his eyes. "Feh. I'm done arguing with you old man. I can feel however I want." He said and Gakuto sighed and shook his head. "You may feel however you please, just keep your thoughts and such foul feelings to _yourself_." He then turned to face Sango who was now just as shocked as Gakuto was.

How could Kouga think like that? Yes, Sesshomaru did seem a little closed off but she had assumed that was how he was, his personality or maybe even a little ill. But to suggest that he was a liar and that he didn't truly love his sister, well, that sounded a bit like treason.

"Whatever." Kouga said and began to walk away, but not before Miroku asked if he could go with him, to which the wolf Prince agreed and they walked towards the kitchen.

"Young ones." Gakuto groaned and rubbed his eyes with his tanned hands. Sango scoffed, "I'm pretty young myself." She said, trying to lighten his mood, and his eyes shot to her face. "Yes, quite young, however not immature. Young Kouga must learn to watch his words for he could face dire consequences, some of which I cannot even name." She pouted and looked away, feeling a bit ashamed of Kouga's words and actions.

"I can be immature as well, Gakuto-sama." She replied and he shrugged. "As we all can be, however, there is also a difference between immaturity and insolence." He said and she almost laughed. He was calling Kouga insolent, which she guessed he could be at times.

"Any who, let's see if we can find the new Lady of the house." He said and Sango smiled, Gakuto was a really great person.

••••••

"Sango-chan!" Inuyasha saw her friend and Gakuto approaching her from the other side of the room. She was a bit tired of everyone coming up to her to congratulate her or ask her extremely personal questions. Like, who the hell were they to ask if she was ready to find a mate yet? If she was looking to fighting Sesshomaru for power over the West. The hell, she literally just found out that she had a bed to herself.

"Congratulations Inuyasha, you looked so beautiful today, I'm pretty sure tons of guys have approached you tonight." Sango gushed and clasped her hands together, forming a large smile as her eyes twinkled. Sometimes that girl could be such a hopeless romantic. "Why thank you Sango, you looked gorgeous yourself. However, any guy that has wanted to speak with me have all ran in the other direction, have you not seen the way Sesshomaru has been glaring at them?" She asked and Sango looked behind her to see Sesshomaru speaking with his father, but every few seconds, he would find Inuyasha and glare icy daggers at the males that surrounded her. It was pretty funny.

"I see, he's getting used to the big brother role already?" Sango asked and Inuyasha nodded with a great big grin on her face. "It's been rather nice." She said and then turned to look at Gakuto. "So, old man, I'm not as mad at you as I was before." She said waving her hand in front of her face and noticed how his posture changed, he wasn't slumping as much and he was beginning to smile.

"That means a lot to me, Lady Inuyasha." He bowed and she almost shrieked. "Don't ever do that again!" She yelled and he looked confused, "Do what exactly?" "Don't bow to me, the hell, I'm not some princess." She continued to rant and Gakuto sighed. "Technically speaking, you _are_ considered a princess of sorts." He said and saw the color literally drain from her face. "W-what?" She asked and he repeated himself.

A princess? Oh _hell_ no.

Having a home to continuously return to, Inuyasha could deal with. Having a father and a brother, she could handle. Having regular meals and a place to bathe, she could more than appreciate. But being a princess? What the fuck did they think she was? Royalty? She knew nothing about being royal. The closest thing she had ever done that may have even been considered to have been anything close to what a princess would do was maybe complain about her food to Gakuto when they lived at the temple. Other than that, she had roamed almost the entire island of Japan barefoot, she didn't know any of the complicated court terms, she knew nothing of being pampered, hell, she couldn't even name any of her royal family members for shits sake.

After internally freaking out, Inuyasha told Sango and Gakuto that she would see them later and that she had something to do, and without thinking, she ran as fast as her feet could carry her past the staircase and down the long hall, kicking her shoes off and passing rooms and large windows before opening the last one at the end and shutting it closed.

Breathing heavy, Inuyasha sighed and looked into the dark room. Of course, because of her sensitive sight, she could see everything in the room even though it was pitch black in there. _Breathe Inuyasha, breathe._ She told herself and held her hand on her chest, feeling the quickened pulse slowly begin to reach the normal one she was comfortable with.

She wasn't surprised at the new information, she just didn't feel happy, like the way she thought she would feel. She felt as though she didn't have to fight for this, this luxury. A whole castle that she could wander, gardens and even a large lake. She would never be hungry, uncomfortable, or unwelcome. It was as if all her dreams had come true, all too easily. Her and her mother had struggled when she was a child, and even though her mother had the shittiest end of the shit stick, Inuyasha had suffered as well. She had to watch as her mother would go without food just to feed her. She had to watch as time and time again, denied them services or land simply because her mother had birthed a Hanyou child. Inuyasha had been beaten by others, cursed at, and bullied. Never once in her childhood did she feel welcome by humans or demons, except for her mother. And when she died, yes she gained friends and Gakuto and the three demon maids, but it wasn't the same. They had all needed her for something before becoming her friend, and Gakuto, well he was obligated to care for her as were the Demonesses.

The Hanyou maiden stepped on the cold granite floor, looking around at the large room with its big mirrors covered by silk draperies. There was a large furnace and a pile of furs in the center. She couldn't guess what the room was for, so she simply walked to the balcony on the far end of the room and looked out at the large lake that surrounded the castle and then at the large wall that surrounded that. She then looked at the outline of the mountains and trees that passed the wall and could even see the hills and some another building. She missed roaming free with the Monk and the Taijiya and little Shippo and Kirara. She leaned on the banister and sighed into her hand, this was all so much to take in. As her fingers played with the railing, she looked up at the sky, it blanketed the Earth in its dark warmth and was decorated by shining, flickering stars. The moon was a small sliver of its full glory, and she remembered that the New Moon night would be coming soon.

Sighing, she stepped up and stood on the marble railing, opening her arms so that she could feel the breeze pass between her fingers. _I wish that you could give me advice, Kaachan._ She thought.

"Inuyasha," she heard behind her, and she tripped having been startled out of her train of thought and almost screamed before they grabbed her and pulled her over, falling down with her on top.

"What the fuck! You can't just go around calling people's names as they're standing off the edge of something so high! Are you stupid or-" She had been cursing up a storm without even looking at the person she was straddling, and when she did, she realized it was her older brother, Sesshomaru.

"I-I didn't know it was you," She blushed, her face close to his and she could see the amusement flickering in his beautiful golden eyes which were lined in a thin line of violet makeup.

It really made his eyes pop, especially with his strange markings. His hair was fanned beneath him, and formed a silver halo around his head.

"Well now that you have stared at this Sesshomaru long enough, have you not realized his identity?" He asked, a ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips as her blush deepened. She squeezed her legs involuntarily, about to yell again when she realized that she was above him, on him, his personal junk beneath her legs.

She almost fainted.

"S-S-Sesshomaru **GET OFF ME**!" She flipped herself off and struggled to run to the large window-door.

"M-move!" She stuttered and pointed at him. "You stay right there!" She yelled and he stood up, rather gracefully might I add, and wiped his arms of the dust that was on his kimono sleeves. "So you molest this Sesshomaru and tell him to keep his distance? I would not have presumed you to possess such logic." He said sarcastically and she could tell he was having way too much fun with this.

"Sh-shutup you friggin' pervert! You had to know you were pissing me off! Of course I got defensive and squeezed you with my legs-" She started to blush again, she felt the heat rising from her neck and finding itself burning within her ears. Man was this an embarassing situation.

He flipped his hair over his shoulder and began to stroke it, occassionally glancing up at the fuming Hanyou. "I knew no such thing." He said innocently, and started to walk in her direction. "Sesshomaru stay back! I swear if you come over here-" "You shall what? Press yourself against this Sesshomaru again? If that is my punishment, then I look foward to it intently." He teased, cocking his head to the side as he reached her in one stride.

"Sesshomaru-" She breathed, her voice sounding overly husky, she didn't know what he was doing to her, making her feel like a panting dog.

"Yes?" He asked, placing both of his hands on either side of her, leaning down and pressing his forehead against hers.

"I-I," Her eyes traveled his perfect face, taking in every detail, his scent, his warmth.

_He's my brother, this is wrong._

"I have to go." She said and ducked under his arms and began to run, almost tripping and falling on her face.

However, he caught up with her, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into his chest. "Why are you running?" He asked, his voice husky and warm against her velvety ears. She felt her stomach fluttering, and water stinging her eyes. She was so confused and scared, she didn't know what to do in this situation. She had never been so unnerved before in her entire life. "I'm scared, Sesshomaru." She whispered, cuddling into his warmth. "Of this Sesshomaru?" He queried and she nodded. It was kind of true even though she was more scared of what he was doing to her than anything. Didn't he feel weird? Didn't he feel something in the pit of stomach? He sighed and began to rub her back in slow, comforting circles. "There is nothing to fear from this Sesshomaru. He has promised to protect you." He said as he began to stroke her soft hair and she shuddered. He did feel safe, strong, and warm.

"Yes, you did." She said and she heard a faint chuckle. "Let us get you to your chambers, Imouto." He said and she nodded, allowing him to show the way.

••••••

Sesshomaru had left Inuyasha to sleep hours ago, but he still couldn't help but wander back, to stay outside her door and listen to her breathing. He wanted to make sure she was fine, even though it was against his nature to even care for the Hanyou. His mother would be extremely disappointed in the way he was beginning to act, the way he was conveying his feelings. He was supposed to be unreadable, not able to understand. It was a way of life for him, something she had taught him as a pup so he wouldn't be legible in court or in front of the Consul.

However, earlier that day, he knew that he had felt something between himself and his Imouto, something he had never felt before in his four hundred plus years of life. It was something that warmed him from the inside out, something that made him want to protect even more than he already did. This confused the Inu-Daiyoukai, and he did not cope well with confusion, embarassment, or disappointment, which he had begun to feel for himself. He was disappointed that he could not control his feelings anymore, his inner Youkai.

**_If you listen, she shall be ours._** It had said to him, but he did not comprehend. Inuyasha would be his? Well, she already was. She was his younger sister, someone he had vowed to protect on his family's honor. What more was there?

**_Do not play the simpleton with me, I am your other half. I know your feelings and thoughts. Maybe even better than you do yourself._** His Youkai growled and Sesshomaru clutched his sword tighter to control his anger. _This Sesshomaru knows his own thoughts. He is not some barbarian who listens to the incompetent side of his brain._ He said back and he heard his inner Youkai become more upset. **_I am not incompetent. In fact, I am much more competent than you are! You cannot even listen to yourself._** It growled again and Sesshomaru decided to ignore it, and rest his eyes. He was not even going to acknowledge his more animalistic side, it ran on brute force instead of intellect, and he was not having that. Whatever his Youkai thought about doing to his Imouto would be the exact opposite of what he would actually do.

••••••

_Shifting in his sleep, Sesshomaru began to breathe heavily._

_{ His Dream }_

_"Aniki," The little silver-haired minx purred into his ear, straddling him and kissing his throat. "Aniki, can you make your Imouto feel good?" She asked, her voice low and seductive. How had he gotten into her room? He could have sworn he was just outside. "In-Inuyasha" He stuttered, his voice betraying him. How could he sound so out of control? She began to gyrate her hips against him, moaning into his ear with her warm, sultry breath. "Aniki, I need it," She panted, forcing her hands into the opening of his Kimono, rubbing her small hands against his chiseled chest. "I can feel you need it too, Oniichan." She licked his earlobe and began to pull her sleeping gown up past her thighs, those creamy, tanned thighs. He couldn't help himself but press his erection into her warmth. She moaned again, a very arousing sound, and arched her back, pressing her breasts into his chest and exposing her throat to him. His inner Youkai was pleased with her show of submission. He began to lick at her throat, grazing his fangs against the exposed chest and letting out a low, guttural growl. He sucked at the curve of her jaw, slowly beginning to kiss her chin until he reached her soft, pink lips. He felt her tighten her legs around him and begin to whimper, "Put it in, Aniki, stop teasing your little sister." She panted, and began to untie his obi. He almost lost all the control he had when she opened his kimono open, exposing himself to her. She then began to lift her nightdress, and before long, they were both naked on her futon, panting and pressing themselves against one another._

_He sucked one of her delicate, pink nipples into his hot mouth, receiving a stroke of approval around his throbbing manhood. "Put it in, Aniki, please." She groaned, and he flipped them over so that he was now on top._

_Now that was more like it._

_He looked upon his fidgeting sister, her silver hair was a beautiful mess, her lithe, tanned body covered in a light sheen of sweat. He rolled his fingers on her right nipple, licking and nipping at it and she began to whimper. He sucked the nub into his mouth again, until he felt it reach its peak and continued to suck until he reached between her breasts and then began to suck on the unattended left nipple. As his hands traveled Southward, he discovered she was trembling at ready, and he decided to end his ministrations and give her a little bit of what she wanted. He'd continue his teasing some other time._

_He grabbed her legs and pressed her thighs into her chest, and directed his member into her warm, inviting entrance. As her silky folds swallowed his engorged manhood, he heard her suck air between her teeth and she moaned, grabbing the sheets. "Oh Kami, it's so thick Aniki!" He began to pound into her, his arms on either side of her as he supported his weight. "Do you like it, Imouto?" He asked, his voice throaty. "Yes, I love it, fill me with your warm seed, Niichan." She wrapped her arms around his neck and attached her soft lips onto his own, sucking on his bottom lip until he moaned into her mouth, allowing her to lick along his bottom canines and suck on his tongue._

_As she began to match his thrusts with her own, he felt a clenching in his balls as his member became even more sensitive. He broke their kiss and bit into her neck and thrusted a few more times before her walls clamped down on him, causing his seed to erupt violently from him. As he licked her neck, he felt himself roll her onto her back and his claws elongated, carving three straight lines along her back, beginning the end to their mating._

{ _End of Dream_ }

The Inu-Daiyoukai awoke to a warm, liquid beneath his kimono. Had he bathed last night and not changed his garments? He opened his eyes to find himself not within his chambers, but in a hallway. He then remembered vaguely that he couldn't sleep because his inner Youkai wanted to sleep outside of Inuyasha's room.

Wait.

_Inuyasha?_

He then remembered his dream that he had, and almost growled in frustration. He had a nocturnal emission last night. Something he had not experienced since he was probably two hundred years old.

"Sesshomaru?" He heard the sound of a familiar voice behind him and he looked up to see a very drowsy Inu-Hanyou looking at him through sleepy, puppy dog eyes. If he hadn't known any better, he would have swooned right there at her feet. "What's that smell?" She asked, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air and glanced at him. "It's coming from you." She added, her face full of confusion and worry.

_**She is so innocent, she would make us the perfect mate.**_ His Youkai stated, and Sesshomaru almost hardened at the images his Youkai sent him of his dream. Internally shaking his head of such thoughts, he addressed the situation at hand. "Indeed, this Sesshomaru apologizes for his smell. He had engaged in some tiresome activities last night which may have him smelling a bit foul." He said, not wanting to lie to her but also not wanting to tell her the entire truth that he had dreamed of taking her on her bed. She cocked her head to the side, her hair brushing against her cheek as she held her chin with her fingers in thought. "I see." She said and then sniffed again, this time bending down, unintentionally showcasing her tanned, fleshy mounds to Sesshomaru. He held in a gasp and she stood back up, this time smiling. "It doesn't smell foul, it smells sweet." She blushed and looked away from him and began to chew on her bottom lip. "I never knew a guy could smell so good after working up a sweat." She whispered, and Sesshomaru chose not to respond, not knowing whether or not she had intended for him to hear.

"Thank you for not ridiculing this Sesshomaru." He said and offered her a small smile. If she had known what the smell originated from, he wondered if she would still think it to be pleasing.

"Why would I? You wouldn't tease me for smelling different." She said and he almost gasped. The smell of her arousal would most definitely be intoxicating.

But why was he thinking like this? Like some pre-pubescent pup?

"Indeed, I would most _definitely_ refrain from teasing you." He said and chose to stand, opting to turn so as to not reveal his little embarrassment. "Shall I see you later for today's morning meal?" He asked and he smiled, her eyes lightening up and she hugged him from behind.

"Of course!"

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**I totally ****just woke up to upload this chapter. I'm so tired from working on online work for the upcoming new school year, I just needed a breather. Writing this story means a lot to me, and it really is just as entertaining to me as I hope it is for all of you. Please review, favorite, and follow, it means a lot to me! Thank you all so very much, and I hope you guys have a wonderful day tomorrow.**

**-Ally**


	12. Chapter 10

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

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_**Warning: **_**Possible Citrus chapter!**

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••••••

Lord Inu-Taisho sat at his desk, his face set in his palm. He had finally formally inducted his daughter into his family. Her reception was going pretty well with the general Youkai public, however, he knew that a few board members of the Consul did not fully agree with him bringing a Hanyou into his family, let alone as an heir to the Western Lands. However, he could care less. She had proven herself as a very intelligent young lady in the past three months and had even received quite a few mating proposals from many Daiyoukai of great worth. However, he chose to turn them down, mainly because he knew she wasn't ready and also because he couldn't force himself to give away the child he had just received.

The Great Inu Lord groaned, allowing his head to fall upon the hard bamboo surface. _What would you do, Izayoi?_ He thought back to his lovely human wife. So much had happened between them that they didn't really get to discuss their daughter's future, and with her in hiding, he never got to really talk to her again after the birth of their child. He had sent her off immediately after catching word that the South had been infuriated with the West and that they were debating whether or not to declare war. Lord Inu-Taisho had found it completely irrational that they had wanted to be so involved with his life, but he guessed the whole human mother, demon father thing didn't really sit well with them.

Sending Izayoi away with Inuyasha was the hardest thing for him to do, and knowing that the human beauty was most likely dead by now, he sighed again, and knew he couldn't possibly lose his daughter as well. _She'll just have to wait to get mated, she's too young anyways._ He thought, and decided that _that_ was final.

As he began to sort through paperwork, he heard a light knock at the door. "Enter." He said and watched as the object of his fatherly thoughts entered his room.

Clad in her practice clothes, he watched as she gracefully made her way to her father's desk. "Otousan, Ryuskei asked me to deliver this letter to you, he's in Gakuto's healing quarters as of right now with four other soldiers. Something about a conflict near the southernmost borders." She said and placed the letter down in front of him.

His smile faltered and he looked down wearily at the small envelope. His second in command hardly ever needed to visit Gakuto for anything to do with healing, he rarely ever left a fight with a scrape let alone anything serious. This caused Inu-Taisho to be a little concerned. As he opened it, he watched as his daughter started to leave. "Inuyasha, please, tell me what else you know of this matter." He said and he saw her turn, her long ponytail swaying. "All that Ryuskei was able to say was that he and his men had killed five men and one woman but not without plenty of casualties on our end. He said that there were two wind elemental Daiyoukai there, twins, and that they would not stop until the Western Lands had fallen to their Lord." She paused and looked down at her feet nervously. "Otousan, he looked pretty shaken up. He's never looked like that even when I broke my arm three weeks ago when I went with him and the others to the Ogre village in Kyoto and fell off of A-Un." She rubbed her arm and sighed. "I hope whatever this is, it isn't serious." She added and as he began to read Ryuskei's normally neat hand writing, he knew that whatever this was, it was definitely serious.

"Go get your brother for me, Inuyasha." Inu-Taisho said softly, trying not to worry her. She nodded, and walked away, clutching Tessaiga's hilt nervously.

••••••

Inuyasha barely managed to make it out of her father's wing without hyperventilating. Ryuskei looked like he was in _so_ much pain, as did the other soldiers. The chestnut haired man glared at Gakuto as he applied some foul-smelling ointment at his bloodied gashes and the growl he let slip pained her.

The Wolf demon had been introduced to her by Kouga as her father's Second in Command, and he was a rather interesting person. He was greatly talented with the sword and martial arts and had almost beat her a couple times. But looking at him without his usual smile was killing her. Who could have done something like that to him?

"Inuyasha, please give this to Lord Inu-Taisho, it is urgent." He said through gritted teeth as Gakuto wrapped his abdomen. He had told her what had happened and he now looked at her with pain filled hazel eyes. She almost cried. "Yes, of course." She grabbed it and almost ran to her father's quarters.

As she tried to focus on the task at hand, she almost forgot who she was looking for when she smelled him.

**_Sesshomaru._**

He was having a conversation with Sango, well, more like the Taijiya was talking and he was nodding and giving her a few sentences at the most. He wasn't being rude or anything, he just wasn't good with talking to others without putting up his walls. Inuyasha had noticed this the first month she had been there. He had avoided her quite a few times in order to not have to engage in a discussion, and when she pointed this out, he apologized and said that he just wasn't used to talking to others, besides their father.

As she watched her older brother, she couldn't help but get lost in the way he held himself. His head held high, his kimono perfectly pressed, his obi perfectly tied, his swords at his hip, his eyes leveled. He never looked like he was the least bit imperfect. Well, unless he was talking to Inuyasha, then he looked confused, which in turn confused her.

As Sango finished up what she was saying, Inuyasha decided to stop staring and walk over to her brother.

"Oniisama." She said and he turned elegantly to look at her. She chose not to look into his golden orbs and instead, focus on the blue crescent moon on his forehead. "Yes, Imouto?" He asked in an emotionless voice, most likely to try and cover up the fact that she probably saw him talking to Sango. But that wasn't what she was there for, she would tease him about that later.

"Father wishes for your presence in his office." She said, and he tried to hold eye contact with her, which she wasn't allowing. "And what might Father need this Sesshomaru's presence for?" He asked and she looked down at her boots, something she had been doing quite a lot that morning.

"To discuss a very urgent matter pertaining to the attack on Ryuskei-san and his men." She said and started to walk off. "Inuyasha, what is the problem?" He asked and she stiffened.

"Well Ryuskei-san was attacked-" "Not that problem, Imouto. The problem with you." He said with a hint of worry in his voice. She sighed and turned to face him again. "I'm scared that something serious may be happening, and with Ryuskei-san injured, I fear that Father may need you to help him when he goes on patrol to the Southernmost borders." She said and she pressed her hand around Tessaiga again, trying to calm herself.

"Why would such a thing worry you, Imouto? Do you not believe this Sesshomaru to be capable of protecting himself?" He asked, his eyes full of an emotion she couldn't quite figure out. She smiled softly and wrapped her free hand around a lock of his silver hair and tugged playfully before letting it go. "Of course I know you are capable of defending yourself. I have no worries about that. You are the strongest Youkai I know besides Father, but what I am worried about is just that-" She felt her voice crack and he wrapped his arms around her in an instant. "Don't worry yourself, Imouto. I won't be gone for long, I will not leave you for too long. This Sesshomaru has yet to receive his second round from you." He said, and Inuyasha almost died laughing. "Did you just tell a joke?" She asked and he slowly pulled from their embrace. "Was that what it sounded like?" He asked, a teasing gleam to his eyes.

"Screw you, just make sure you don't get eaten or something. Now hurry up, Otousan is waiting for you." She smiled and nudged him as he began to walk away.

He was something else. Always acting so impassive when he really was a great older brother.

••••••

Sesshomaru knocked before letting himself into his father's study. He was sitting at his desk, his mokomoko wrapped around his shoulder and his head resting on his hand.

For the first time since probably the birth of Inuyasha, he looked stressed.

"You called for me, Otousama?" Sesshomaru said impassively. His father looked up from the papers in front of him and looked almost confused as to who was speaking before he realized his son was the one whom the voice belonged to. "Ah, yes. Sesshomaru, do you remember the Lord and Lady of the South?" He asked and the younger Daiyoukai simply nodded. The two bird daiyoukai weren't on good terms with his father and his mother and when she died and his father mated with Izayoi, well to put it simply, they loathed him. They felt he had disrespected all demons by taking a mortal woman as his mate and by having a child, that just added fuel to the flames.

"Well, two months ago, I went there to do some minor trading; they needed rice and we needed some iron ore. When I arrived, they were nothing but completely kind to me and my men. That is, until the final day. The Lord of the South requested to speak with me privately, and I realized that he was the younger son of the former Lord of the West Nori and his mate, Suguru, who he said had died alongside one another in battle with the East. The young Lord proposed an idea to merge the West with the South, to which I politely declined." Inu-Taisho looked at his son and continued, "My father and your grandfather, Inu-Toga, had worked far too hard to help bring the West back up to its former glory that his father had ruined. However, this new Lord of the South was not sated with my answer and began to threaten me, and if my memory serves me correctly he said that, _'I shall not allow you to disrespect me or my Lands, Lord Inu-Taisho. You shall consider my offer or I will find that mutt you call your daughter and wring her by her filthy neck.'_ Of course, I could not really react for that would be almost the same as a declaration of war. I simply declined again and asked to leave. He allowed it, but said that he was not finished with me yet." Lord Inu-Taisho sighed and looked over a piece of paper that was in front of him.

"Ryuskei and his men had a run in with the former Lord's son and his mate, his younger sister." Sesshomaru's father looked up at him with anger-filled eyes and almost growled. "You understand what this fool has done, attacking my men on my lands, Sesshomaru?" He asked and Sesshomaru nodded.

"He has declared war."

••••••

Miroku and Kouga were talking with Ginta as Shippo and Rin played with Kirara in the gardens.

The Houshi and the Wolf Prince had bonded since the ceremony, and had become really good friends. As Ginta told them about the Ryuskei incident, they saw Inuyasha and Sango walking past them towards the Sakura groves. "I wonder how Inuyasha is doing, Ryuskei has become quite the good friend to her." Kouga said staring at the silver-haired beauty. His feelings for her hadn't really disappeared but he was slowly beginning to understand that she was pretty much a free spirit who probably wouldn't settle down for a long time. Of course, he could wait but he was beginning to start to look for someone else to shower with his affection.

"Lady Inuyasha is probably doing just fine. Ryuskei will heal." Miroku said, looking over at Shippo who had just fell into the bamboo-pond and was whining about the water getting in his ears.

"That is true, Kouga-san." Ginta said, his large eyes also eyeing the Kitsune pup and his human friend as they now both played in the water, scaring away the large koi fish and turtles.

"Well, of course he'll heal, but that's not the point, the point is that Ryuskei got hurt in the first place. I've seen the guy during warm ups, he's no joke, he's on the same level as Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. Him getting hurt so severely that he needed the old man's help is something serious, and Inuyasha-chan realizes that." Kouga said to the two idiots. Man, were they_ dense_.

"I see." Miroku said softly, running his hand along his shoulder length braid that he had grown out. Kouga had told him he looked a whole lot better with his hair long, and Miroku agreed. "Hey, Houshi!" Shippo ran over to the trio and jumped on Miroku's head, giving the Houshi a face full of Kitsune ass.

"Shippo, get your butt from in front of my face! You're soaking wet from the stream!" He pulled Shippo off gently and began to pat his russet colored hair dry with his robes. Ginta snickered and Kouga rolled his eyes.

"Young ones." They said at the same time and Rin came over and sat down near Miroku as well, laying her head down to rest. Kouga couldn't help but notice that the Houshi would make a great parent.

••••••

"So you're handling it pretty well?" Sango asked her young Hanyou friend as they made their way through the fenced path of the Sakura grove. Inuyasha had needed someone besides a male to talk to and Sango was just the girl to come to (literally).

"As well as I can. I mean, Ryuskei is hurt, Sesshomaru might have to leave the castle and I have a feeling that I should be there. Tessaiga has been pulsing _all_ day." The Hanyou said, large golden eyes glancing down at the powerful sword at her hip. Sango knew better than to question her friend's instincts, and even though she thought it to be a little silly for her to worry over her very capable elder brother, she understood what it meant to almost lose a sibling. Her heart went out to the young maiden.

"Maybe Tessaiga is channeling your nerves, I mean, today was very stressful, Inuyasha-chan." Sango said and the girl exhaled heavily, her shoulders slumping and she began to play with the long rope of silver hair she had in a ponytail down her back as they made their way to the bamboo benches near the small waterfall at the end which was surrounded by more sakura trees and bamboo.

"That could be a reason." She said as she sat down but her eyes darted back to her sword. "However, I feel like it's something serious, yet, I can't put my finger on it." She groaned in frustration and looked back at Sango. "Maybe I'm stressing out about this too much." She said and Sango grinned, placing her hands over Inuyasha's.

They were both wearing outfits similar to the slayer outfit, but Inuyasha's outfit was all black and Sango's was black and purple. Practice had been cut short when news of Ryuskei and his men being attacked reached the training field outside. "It's alright, it's only natural for you to be feeling like this. If you didn't worry, then you wouldn't be the caring, adorable Hanyou that I know and love." Sango hugged her friend and felt Inuyasha soften up and breathe in a deep breath and exhale.

"Man, you and your words of wisdom." The half demon said and pulled back to smile at her. "You needa stop hanging around that old Gakuto." She said and Sango felt herself blush. "I do not _hang_ around him!" She said and Inuyasha winked, noticing her blush. "Sure, whatever you say, hentai Taijiya." Inuyasha teased and Sango almost fainted from embarrassment.

••••••

War. Sesshomaru had only ever witnessed war two-hundred years before Inuyasha had been born. He couldn't remember what it was about but he distinctly remembered his father acting as stressed as he was now. He could not wrap his head around the reason his father blatantly displayed such weakness, Sesshomaru could never show how stressed he really was on the inside to anyone. He would simply go to the courtyard and ask to spar with someone. It helped him vent.

But Inu-Taisho was allowing his stress to be written all over his face. His markings looked dull and his golden eyes were clouded.

As the young Inu-Daiyoukai walked towards his room, he inwardly sighed. No matter how much he didn't agree with his father's way of displaying emotion, he couldn't help but feel anxious as well. War with the South would not be something easy. They had one of the most powerful armies in all of Japan. Even though Inu-Taisho had worked hard to remain allies with the East and the North, Sesshomaru doubted they would voluntarily leap at the chance to go to battle with them, it was much too risky.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Sesshomaru was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard his young charge grab onto his leg. He glanced down and looked at her impassively. "Rin." He said and she looked up at him and grinned, and Sesshomaru couldn't help but feel much less worried around the human child. As she started to talk about her day he looked at her pigtail tied with the ribbon his younger sister had given the child.

He had meant to ask her about that 'magic' she spoke of.

"And Prince Kouga and Ginta-sama helped me pick a bouquet of flowers for Lady Inuyasha. Miroku-sama told me that she had been a bit sad about Lord Ryuskei's injuries." He heard the child say after he began to listen again. He was a bit startled at the information and was now staring at the girl. "Sad?" He asked and she nodded, her ponytail bouncing. "She is close friends with Lord Ryuskei." The child said and Sesshomaru's inner Youkai was enraged.

_**Close friends? WE SHALL TEAR HIM APART!**_ It howled so loud it almost gave Sesshomaru a migraine.

"I wanted to ask you if you could deliver this for me, Lord Sesshomaru. I do not really know where her room is exactly. I apologize for asking but I really want her to get this." She held the flowers up at him and he sighed, taking it from her small hands.

He recognized the flowers from the five bright blue petals and the bright yellow center. _Wasurenagusa_ (forget-me-not) flowers represented true love. He almost choked, but covered it up with a cough and chose to start walking in the direction of his sister's room. "I shall take these." He said and he heard Rin squeal in delight and skip away.

He truly hoped Inuyasha was _not_ in her room.

••••••

_I hate this._ Inuyasha groaned and began to pet her pup on the head. Shippo looked up at her with his large green eyes and pouted, grabbing her hand with his small ones. "Why do you seem so sad?" He asked and Inuyasha smiled softly at her very perceptive adopted child. "I'm not sad Shippo, just tired." She lied and noticed how his nose twitched and he looked back at the sheer curtains that veiled her bed. "If you say so." He said and began to eat the mochi that the Hanyou had snuck into her room for him. He really shouldn't be eating human food as much as he did, but since she had been feeding him raw meat all week, she decided to give him a small treat in reward.

"Shippo, you know I only want the best for you, right?" She asked, changing the subject, and he looked back at her again with his cheeks stuffed. He nodded and swallowed. "Of course I know that, you took me in when no one else would even try to help me." He said, his voice cracking. She knew it was hard for him to voice his feelings, so instead of prodding him, she picked him up in her lap and began to pet his back and sing softly.

It was a lullaby her mother had sung to her many years ago.

"_Nennen korori yo, Okorori yo. Bōya wa yoi ko da, Nenne shina._

_Bōya no omori wa, Doko e itta? Ano yama koete, Sato e itta._

_Sato no miyage ni, Nani morotta? Denden taiko ni, Shō no fue._"

As she rocked Shippo tenderly, she heard his breathing slow and deepen and his heartbeat slow as well. She smiled, and placed him under the furs on her bed.

"The lucky brat is sleeping while I'm still wide awake." She said aloud as she gazed at her pup.

Sometimes, she wondered how it would be to give him a few brothers and sisters, pups of her own. He would be a great older brother.

_Speaking of older brothers._ Inuyasha sniffed the air and smelled the faint scent of Sesshomaru nearby. It was fresh, and she wondered what he would be doing near her room. She decided to find out, so she got up and walked towards the large wooden door and unlocked it, glancing outside.

"Sesshomaru?" She called out and heard the faint footsteps of the older Youkai to her right. They stopped, and she turned to look.

"Inuyasha." He was leaning against the marble wall and gazing at her with warm eyes. She blushed, and looked down at her feet.

_What the hell is he doing over here?_

"Rin picked this bouquet. She asked this Sesshomaru to bring them to you as a gift." He said, holding a bouquet of _Wasurenagusa_ flowers out to her.

"Wh-what?" She took the flowers from him and looked at the blue petals. These signified true love, and if she wasn't mistaken, Sesshomaru knew the language of flowers just as well as she did, possibly even better.

"She probably found them in the garden. She means nothing by it." He said softly as he watched for her reaction. What he said did not make her less flustered.

**_Sesshomaru gave this to us._** Her inner Youkai purred and she felt the familiar flutter in her gut and she knew she had to go back inside quickly before her Youkai did something stupid, _again._

The last time she felt the strange feeling in her gut, her Youkai played extremely sensual visuals in her head of Sesshomaru and she touched herself very _indecently_ that night.

"Thank you, I'll put these in a vase somewhere. Good night." She said hurriedly, her voice sounding strained and he cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"What is the matter, Imouto?" He asked, but before she answered, he looked over her sheer night-gown and noticed her nipples were a bit more pert than they were when he had arrived.

"Do you feel alright?" He asked, grinning just the slightest bit. Was his Imouto aroused from him? From the thought that he had brought these flowers himself? The meaning of the flowers?

_**Claim.**_

"I f-feel just fine! Don't ask such ridiculous questions." She said loudly, looking away from him and at her door. "I simply want to get some rest." She added and he smiled, genuinely smiled.

His Imouto was cute when she was flustered.

"Alright, Imouto." He said and leaned down to her face, breathing in her earthy scent. It was soft and feminine, it reminded him of clear streams and bright green fields filled with fragrant flowers and fruit trees. But there was another scent lingering around her, something sweeter, it was almost like honey.

It was her arousal.

He growled into her neck and pressed a warm, soft kiss there and backed away before he couldn't control himself.

"Good night, Inuyasha." He said and walked away.

••••••

She moaned into her pillow, her fingers repeatedly diving into her warm, wet hole. She couldn't control herself, and as she pinched softly at the pulsing nub and raised her ass so she could reach deeper inside the throbbing depths. she felt herself clench around her fingers, and her legs trembled and threatened to give out at the strength of her orgasm, and as she bit into her harm, she stifled a loud moan as she squirted onto her hand and fell onto the granite floor of her private bathroom.

_What is he doing to me?_ Inuyasha laid on the floor for quite a few more moments, trying to gather her breath and strength as she panted, her nightdress pulled up past her stomach, her breasts tender and sore from her fondling.

She let out one last sigh and sat up, glancing at the large door beside her even larger bathtub. The door led to her private hot spring.

"Nah." She was too tired to soak in hot water. She'd simply take a cold soak to get the scent of what she had done off of her and then go back to sleep, which had been interrupted by early morning dreams of her brother claiming her over and over.

"Am I turning into a Hentai like Miroku?" She asked and groaned as she stood to turn press the blue rock that brought forth the cold water.

She really needed to clear her head.

••••••

A few days later, the young Hanyou was in Gakuto's healing chambers, she had meant to come straight out and ask him about the reason (or reasons) why she had been having the strange dreams and strong urges, but when she saw his face, those green eyes looking all wise and shit, she simply couldn't embarrass herself further, so she decided to leave out a few things.

"What is it, child?" He asked as he sat at his desk, reading a large, wrinkled looking bundle of papers with ancient Japanese writing, it had characters on it that not even herself recognized.

"Um, well, I have questions from a friend, you see this person has been feeling quite, strange you know? They don't know what it is that's going on in their own body." She said and the healer looked up at her from his work and noticed her fidgeting. He realized the child was speaking of herself, but wouldn't say anything.

He nodded for her to continue and looked back at his work. "Well, they recently began to start 'feeling' things. Like strange, weird things in personal areas. Uh and having dreams of a person they really should not be dreaming of." Inuyasha's voice became a bit louder and then realized Gakuto looking amused. "What's so funny, old man?" She asked and he raised his hands and shook his head, "Nothing child, please, continue." He said and she glared at his face before continuing. "Anyways, my friend would like to know what's wrong with them." She said and folded her arms over her chest.

"Well it would depend, are these dreams constant?" He asked and turned in his chair so that all of his attention was on her. She hated that he looked like he knew something.

_Such an asshole._

She chose to look around the room at the many plants and containers of small animal parts and what not. She wouldn't look at him until she calmed her nerves.

"The dreams, I believe, have just started about a few days ago." She said, and she fidgeted with her fingers as she looked back at the older Youkai. "And these feelings, have they started along with these dreams or before?" He asked and she felt the heat rise to her face.

"How would I know that!" She screeched and she noticed his ear twitch at the pitch of her voice. _Haha bastard._ She thought and smirked smugly when he rubbed at the sensitive organ.

"Well I would think you would know this if this is a _friend_ of yours." He said and rolled his eyes. The Hanyou pup could be such a pain sometimes. "Ah well yes, they said that the feelings had happened a bit... before the dreams." Inuyasha said (almost whispered) to Gakuto and he nodded. "Is this friend a human or a Youkai?" He asked and she almost shrieked again before realizing that wouldn't get her anywhere. _Just answer the question._

"Well they're not necessarily either or, they're a Hanyou like me." She muttered and he smiled before continuing on. "Well, and this person for whom their feelings are for, are they a Hanyou, a Youkai, or a human?" He asked and she shrugged. "Youkai."

"Well then it's probably pretty normal." He said and turned back to his work.

"But it isn't! This person my friend has feelings for, well, they're related! By blood, even if it's by half, isn't that strange? Repulsive?" She asked, moving so that she was at his desk and looking down at him with worried eyes.

Gakuto then realized what the child meant.

He chuckled, "Well, if the Hanyou had been in love with her human sibling, yes that would be considered a taboo of sorts in the human community. However, since her sibling is a Youkai, it's pretty normal. Actually, pretty _encouraged_ in the Youkai community. The union of siblings brings forth strong pups especially between strong siblings." He said and watched as all the tension in her body dropped like dead weight.

"Wait, so what you're saying is that-"

"Your feelings for Lord Sesshomaru are not revolting, strange, or even unheard of." Gakuto said and smirked when the child blushed.

"You asshole! How'd you come up with that bullshit!" She shouted and he waved his hand at her. "You give me less credit than I deserve." He said and she huffed. "Well, I know about your feelings for Sango too, you dick-faced bastard." She said and it was Gakuto's turn to blush. "Sango and I are just friends!" He exclaimed, standing up quickly before the Hanyou began to leave.

"Whatever you say, you old pervert."

••••••

Inuyasha sighed, standing near the Eastern side of the wall that surrounded the castle. She jumped and landed at the top and looked back at the large, spectacular building.

She really needed some fresh air and some space. She had decided to visit Kaede's village and see the old hag and how she was doing and then possibly ask her for advice. Yes, knowing that her feelings for Sesshomaru were normal helped a lot but the fact that she didn't know whether or not he reciprocated them didn't help at all.

She remembered Ryuskei telling her that long before Inuyasha had arrived, Sesshomaru had hated Hanyou, all of them, for the mere reason that the tainted the blood lines of Youkai nobility. That they were filth.

Yes, he seemed to accept her now, but the fact that he had held a hatred that strong in the first place really caused her worry.

So she had gotten dressed in her Fire Rat kimono (which was a bit short considering she hadn't grown much since the last time she wore it) and grabbed Tessaiga and tied it under her yellow obi. She really didn't know what else to do. If she faced Sesshomaru right now, she would most likely fall into that little moaning, flustered bundle of nerves she was a few days ago, and that sure as hell was not happening again.

••••••

"Inuyasha isn't here?" Sango asked Lord Sesshomaru after he pulled her out of practice. He shook his head and looked back towards the fields. "My father has wanted to speak with her, however, none of the maids have been able to locate her. This Sesshomaru smelled her scent leave this evening, somewhere near the Eastern walls." He said and looked upon the Taijiya. "Have you any clue as to where she may be headed to?" He asked and Sango placed her chin in her hand and began to think.

_Eastern, what's in the East for her?_

"Besides the temple where she had been living at, I suppose Kaede's village." She said and Sesshomaru nodded. "For what reason would she be going there?" He asked and Sango shrugged. "I guess to visit, my Lord. The people of that village love her, and she cares for quite a few of them as well." She said and noticed the glint of crimson in his eyes as he narrowed them. However, if he was pissed, he didn't show it, for he simply turned and walked away from the practice grounds, his hair flowing behind him and didn't utter another word.

••••••

Caring for humans? Risking her life by leaving the palace and roaming around like some young pup for humans? Had his sister gone mad?

Sesshomaru strode gracefully towards the wall he had smelled his sister's scent wafting towards him from. Narrowed golden eyes glared at the tall blockade and he leaped up and landed on the top, staring at the forest below. It was daytime, which meant she couldn't have gotten that far. If his calculations were correct (which they most likely were) she had left about thirty minutes ago.

As he leaped down, his inner Youkai grumbled about beheading the guard who was supposed to be posted at the Eastern side of the wall.

••••••

Inuyasha leaped from tree to tree, smiling as the air whipped her hair around and tickled her dog ears. It had been such a long time since she was out in the open, barefoot and running as fast as she could. She wished she could have taken the others, but she really needed answers first.

As she reached a small clearing in the forest path, she jumped down and squatted on the dirt road.

Sniffing the air, she looked back in the direction she had come from. She heard the light padding of feet on tree bark and the sound of leaves rustling, even though the wind had died down. Someone was following her. She quickly stood up and ran around the clearing, making sure to jump into various trees and even run a bit into the bushes a bit further left. She then chose to walk alongside the river, it would help in masking her scent.

Whoever it was that was following her was not gonna find her today.

••••••

Sesshomaru sighed as he stood in the middle of a small forest clearing. The sun was filtering through the top canopy, creating shadows of the leaves on the ground below, fluttering about and resembling forest faeries. If Sesshomaru had been the type of person, he would have stopped to enjoy the scenery. However, he had to find his Imouto.

Inuyasha's scent was coming from multiple directions, and if he had been a novice tracker, he would have been confused and probably a bit frustrated. However, since Sesshomaru was over four hundred years old, he knew that Inuyasha was trying to mask her scent, she had picked up on him following her. It was a bit amusing to say the least.

However, he did need to find her, so he relied on his sensitive snout to pick up on the scent trail that was the freshest. It lead him to a nearby river bank and he almost couldn't pick up her scent anymore because of the smell of the water, however, he faintly detected that she was heading the same direction as on the dirt trail and he focused his Yoki into forming himself into a white ball of light and floated off in the direction of his younger sibling.

•••••••

Inuyasha reached Kaede's village and walked past the small homes and the well until she reached the old Miko's home. She moved the curtain and stepped inside, smelling geese cooking over the fire and spotting the old wench feeding a younger woman dressed in Miko clothing.

"Ah, Inuyasha, what has brought ye to my home this day?" The woman asked and Inuyasha scoffed, glaring at a much younger Miko who was sitting on the floor and eating her meal. "I need to speak with you in _private_ Kaede." The Hanyou said and noticed the young Miko flinch as Kaede stood up and walked towards her.

"Child, whatever ye has to say, I pray ye says it in front of my young apprentice, Yuri." The old woman said, eyeing her with her one eye and Inuyasha glared again in the direction of the young lady. "Lady Kaede," Inuyasha began, choosing to sound a bit more respectful. "This matter of mine is a bit _personal_." She said and the woman sighed and glanced over to the younger Miko. "Child, I pray thee stays until I come back." She said and the girl nodded, looking up at Inuyasha with large brown eyes and smiled. "It was very nice to finally meet you, Lady Inuyasha. I have heard much about you." She said and bowed, her short brown hair falling from behind her ears.

"Feh." Inuyasha said, placing her arms into her sleeves and walked outside.

As the older, short woman and Inuyasha made their way past her home and towards the rice fields, Inuyasha began to speak.

"I have been living at my father's home for quite a while now." She said and Kaede nodded, long hair staying in place behind her hunched back, hands folded behind her. "And I have begun to start… Feeling for another." She said, her eyes darting towards the villagers tending to the rice patties, their trousers pulled up to avoid further soaking them in the cool water. "Wherefore do you tell me this, child?" Kaede asked and Inuyasha sighed, the breeze blowing her silver hair around herself and the old woman. "He is someone I haven't known very long, he used to hate my kind." She said and noticed Kaede sigh. "Ye Hanyou kind?" She asked and Inuyasha smiled sadly. "Yes." She said and Kaede turned to face her. "Does ye feel that he still hates ye?" She asked and the Hanyou's eyebrows knitted together as she began to think. "He hasn't shown any hatred towards me, but it doesn't seem that he feels the same way that I feel towards him. It's _confusing_, and I don't know what to do. Do I ask him? Do I ignore my feelings and try to move on?" She asked and Kaede smiled tenderly at the young pup. She truly had changed since the last time she had seen her.

"Do what ye feels is right, Inuyasha. Aye, he may not feel the same way, but if ye never asks, ye will ne'r know." The older woman walked towards the edge of the rice field and picked a stalk of _Sekihan_ (Japanese red-rice) from a bushel that was on a wagon and brought it between the two. "Love is like this _Sekihan_, nourishing, fulfilling, and necessary to live. Without love, ye will ne'r know how to live, child." Kaede said and the young woman blushed, looking away towards the irrigated fields. "I never said I was in love." She muttered and Kaede shook her head and placed the stalk back in the wagon. "I know love when I see it, young one." She said and began to walk towards the village as she left the naïve child to her thoughts.

•••••••

_In love? Me? Yeah, when Hell freezes over._ The Hanyou stomped towards the edge of the village and sighed. Why did the old bat always have to confuse her more? She should have just stayed at the castle and dealt with the problem herself.

As the Hanyou was lost in thought, she didn't realize the direction of the wind shift, or the sudden shift in the aura around her until it was too late.

"Lady Inuyasha, daughter of the Great Inu-Taisho. Never would have guessed we would run into you so soon." Inuyasha turned quickly and unsheathed Tessaiga, automatically in the defensive and glared her golden eyes at the two Youkai before her.

A male and female, both with long silver-blue hair tied in long braids. The male had deep blue eyes while the female had deep gray eyes. They looked almost identical from the cynical smirks they both wore to their light blue kimono, white obi and bare feet.

The only differences were that the female had blue lip makeup on and the male had blue eye makeup on.

They each had twin blades drawn as well, and they were glowing purple.

"What do you fuck faces want?" Inuyasha asked, baring her fangs as the two advanced.

"We wanted to deliver a message from our new Lord and Lady of the South, Lord Toshihiro and Lady Rie. They simply wish for you to deliver a message to your father." The female Youkai spoke and Inuyasha noticed she had been the one speaking the entire time. The male simply looked on with a blank stare.

"And why would I do that?" Inuyasha asked and the two Youkai looked at one another before the female began to speak again. "I am Yami, and this is my brother, Yoru. We are twin Wind Daiyoukai and we mean you know harm, for now." She sheathed her sword and her brother Yoru followed suit, but never taking his eyes off of Inuyasha.

"Simply tell your father that Lord Toshihiro will get what he wants no matter the price." She said and the two disappeared into a gust of wind.

"Wait, what the hell?" Inuyasha vaguely remembered Ryuskei mentioning two wind elemental Daiyoukai when he and his men were attacked, and Inuyasha was beginning to believe that they weren't as harmless as they had made themselves out to be.

••••••

Sesshomaru had found his way into the village the Taijiya spoke of and walked towards the house which had Inuyasha's fresh scent around it.

He considered knocking but decided against it. He was Lord Sesshomaru, future Lord of the West, he did not knock.

He let himself in and looked around the small dwelling, noting the small kitchen near his right, the tatama mats on the floor near a fire pit and covers and pillows near the left. A young woman entered through a curtain in front of him and looked startled before calming her disposition.

"How may I help you my Lord?" She asked, her hair cut short and pulled behind her ears. She looked small and quaint and Sesshomaru couldn't help but notice she was too young to be the woman the monk Miroku had told him about a while back when discussing what Inuyasha and her friends had been up to before arriving at the castle. The woman he mentioned was much older than this child.

"I am looking for the Miko of this village, woman." He said, his voice low but powerful. He needed to see the old woman _now_.

"Lady Kaede? Why yes, I shall go tell her that she has company." The child bowed and walked back behind the curtain. Sesshomaru decided to sit quietly on the tatama mat as he waited for the Miko. He really was becoming quite annoyed, having to go on a rabbit chase for his younger sister.

"Ah, ye must be Inuyasha's elder brother, Lord Sesshomaru." He heard the voice of an old woman and he turned his head at the crone. She was smiling and he noticed the patch over one eye and her disposition. She oozed wisdom and spiritual energy.

Yes, _this_ was the woman he was looking for.

"Has my sibling been here, Miko?" He asked and the woman nodded, looking at the beautiful Inu prince. The wheels in her head were beginning to turn, and she was putting two and two together._ This must be the man Inuyasha is in love with._ The woman thought, and she walked towards the man and sat in front of him, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Aye, the young Hanyou was here not too long ago." She said and Sesshomaru was becoming impatient. Could she not tell that he wanted to know her whereabouts, not how long ago she had been there?

"Do not fret, Lord Sesshomaru. Your sister is still in the area. She had probably gone to the Goshinboku tree." She said and Sesshomaru nodded, remembering the direction of the sacred tree. He stood and started to thank the woman before she interrupted. "I bid you to find her before the child gets herself in any mess." She said and walked away but not before telling him goodbye.

**_What a rude old hag._** His Youkai said, rolling its eyes, and Sesshomaru couldn't help but disagree. The woman knew things not even he knew about his sister, he would definitely need to find out what those things were.

••••••

Inuyasha's small hands traveled the large trunk of the Goshinboku tree. Her eyes hooded and filled with a strong emotion.

It had been a while.

As she thought back over fifty years ago, she heard a rustling behind her and she flinched.

"I'm leaving now." She said and walked away, not wanting to go through that again, but she felt a hand grasp her arm and pull her into an embrace and the scent of a familiar man filled her senses.

"S-Sesshomaru!" She shivered as his strong arms wrapped around her. "You have led this Sesshomaru on a wild goose chase. Father is most definitely worried about your whereabouts." He said and she heard some strange emotion hidden in his words. "I'm sorry, I was just… Confused about something." She said and pulled back from her Aniki. She couldn't look him in the face, not after all that she had revealed to herself earlier with Kaede and Gakuto. She felt even more confused, but about a whole new reason.

_Do what ye feels is right, Inuyasha. Aye, he may not feel the same way, but if ye never asks, ye will ne'r know._ She remembered the old Miko's words as she gazed at her brother's chest, covered by his Kimono and Hakama and gazed down at his armor, then his obi. He was always impeccably dressed, and as she gazed at her bare feet and short kimono, she felt completely under dressed.

"What is it that occupies your mind so, Imouto?" He asked, and she looked up at his gorgeous golden eyes, framed with his beautiful eyelashes and lined with his violet makeup. His lips were closed, and looked so… Inviting. She shook her head, and decided to look at his markings, the two blue stripes on either cheek, the exotic crescent moon. When she thought about it, he probably was way out of her league.

"Just that I never know what you are thinking, Oniisan." She said, biting on her lower lip as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"That is just how this Sesshomaru is. It is all he knows." He said softly and her eyes shot back to his face. Did he just admit a weakness to her? She smiled softly and placed her hands firmly on his forearms and felt him tense before loosening up in her arms.

"I'm almost the same." She said and looked away before he could notice the hurt in her voice. She really shouldn't have visited the damnable tree. "How so?" He asked and she sighed. "For a long time, I hated humans, for the way they treated myself and my mother."

The young Hanyou remembered a time when her mother had left to go bring much-needed food and clothing to their dwelling. She was left unattended inside and with strict orders not to leave at all.

The child knew that she should have listened to her mother, she had a strange feeling in her gut that if she left that room right then and there, something bad was going to happen. But that didn't seem to stop the youngling from being curious. It was her human blood that seemed to be shouting at her to open the door and go outside.'Why can't we be free?' It seemed to ask.

Her Youkai was not to thrilled, however. It told them both to go back inside that instant. That if they left the safety of their home, there would be dire consequences.

_Just a few feet away..._ The child thought and she quickly looked around and took a sniff. Not sensing any danger, she decided it should be fine if she headed off into the woods.

When she reached the woods, she couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. Every single move she made, every single breath she took, she felt that someone else was noticing it all. 'It doesn't matter, let's go to the tree, Goshinboku.' Her human consciousness prodded, and the child listened, walking in the direction of the large sacred tree. When she finally found it, she looked in awe as she saw the bright pink aura it held. It was powerful and definitely had purification energy surrounding it.

It was certainly sacred.

"Oi! There's a demon child!" She heard shouting from not too far behind her and her inner Youkai screamed to run and hide, yet her humanity argued that she had all right to be there. She felt the presence of many more human beings and as she turned, she saw a large group of male human farmers. "What are you doing near our tree, demon!" One of them shouted, rushing towards her and kicking her.

She slid head first into the one of the curled roots and coughed up blood. "I was just wandering." She whimpered, but before she could defend herself, the whole group of human men began to beat her until nothing but bloody rips and tears were recognizable.

Her hair was matted down with blood, her ears twitching in pain, and they were not finished. They believed her to be dead, so the tied her, head down, onto a high branch and lifted her until she was high in the air. They then proceeded to have one of the younger men come over and slice open her torso, and as she bled out, the leader spat at her.

"Serves the filthy mongrel right."

••••••

Inuyasha sighed and looked away from the prodding gaze of Sesshomaru. He simply couldn't believe what she had just shared with him. How was it possible that these humans could feel no sympathy towards a young child?

"It happened a long time ago, alright? My mother never even found out what happened exactly." The Hanyou said and pressed her chin into the fold of her knees pressed together.

"How did your mother not notice the blood upon your person and your clothing? How could she as a mother not notice such things?" He asked in disgust and her eyes shot up to his face in shock. "No, no, you got it all wrong, I simply didn't tell her what had happened exactly. I told her that I had a run in with two boar Youkai. " She almost laughed at the memory, her mom had been so mad at her before she actually saw how badly wounded her child was. She had coddled her for weeks after that. Sesshomaru, however, was not pleased with the knowledge. "How could they do that to you?" He asked and began to stroke her bangs, his gaze becoming warm as he looked at his younger sister sitting on the soft grass near the blasted tree.

She felt herself press into his hands and the feeling of being safe and secure began to flood back into the pit of her stomach.

"Being a Hanyou was pretty hard. Especially before I met Gakuto." She whispered and she heard his heart quicken. "I wish I would have met you sooner." He said but then quickly shook his head, "No, if I would have been acquainted with you two centuries ago, you would not be so fond of me as you are presently." His eyes took in her look of sadness, she understood.

For a long time, Sesshomaru himself had a hatred towards Hanyou and more specifically, her. His mother had forced those feelings upon him, saying that his father would no longer need either one of them after his new child was born. That he was going to have a replacement. This had angered Sesshomaru, and he had went on a rampage for months. After which, his father had decided to confront the young Sesshomaru and had him return home, telling he would love both of his children equally.

When Sesshomaru saw Inuyasha for the first and last time before meeting her again two hundred years later, he vowed to himself that his hatred for her would end. He had a duty to protect her, and he couldn't shake the feeling to protect her.

The same feeling he had now.

"Well, wait, are you saying you don't hate Hanyou anymore?" She asked, her eyes curious and large and Sesshomaru stifled a chuckle at his sister's bewilderment.

"I do not hold any ill will towards you or your kind. It took me quite a while to rid myself of my mother's virtues, however, this Sesshomaru is now his own person." He said, placing his forehead on hers, allowing her to feel the soft skin of his marking.

She shuddered, and reached out, placing tender fingers over his cheeks and stroking the soft, almost velvety skin of his regal markings. "They feel… Different from the rest of you." She whispered, and she heard his breath hitch and she thought she almost heard him moan before he pulled back, his eyes darting away from her.

"They are quite… Sensitive." He said and she blushed, realizing what he meant. However, she remembered how he regularly teased her ears, and with that she told up and jumped on him, pinning him down.

"Payback, _Aniki!_" She giggled at his look of confusion as she sat on his hands and began to softly stroke his markings on his cheeks before moving to stroke his Crescent Moon. Suddenly, the urge to place her lips on it was so strong, she leaned in and licked it before placing her mouth over it.

He definitely moaned then, trying to free his hands from under her legs before she suddenly jumped yards away from him, right in front of the tree.

"I don't know-What the hell did I just do that for?" She whispered, her face flushed and soon, Sesshomaru composed himself enough to stand and think clearly. Was his younger sister… Developing feelings for him?

"Imouto-"

"No! I can't be here right now, my-my…" He noticed the tears rolling down her pale, unblemished face and he was in front of her in an instant.

How could they go from having a perfectly normal conversation, to her almost having him rip her clothes off, and then to her crying? This was confusing Sesshomaru greatly, however, he decided to wipe her tears away and just hug her, he would think about all of that later.

"Your what, Imouto?" He asked and he felt her shake and then sigh.

"My Youkai." She said softly and she looked up.

"It keeps urging me on, making me want to do… Things." She said and looked away and he felt the realization wash over him.

Her Youkai wanted Sesshomaru.

"Like?" He asked, wanting her to confirm his theory and she began to blush. "Like be around you..." She said, barely above a whisper, and if his ears hadn't been as sensitive as they were, he was sure he would have missed what she had just said altogether. "Just this Sesshomaru?" He asked, almost sounding as jealous as he felt and she laughed, wiping her nose and sniffling. "Yeah, just you." She said and he felt relieved.

_**Good. Ours.**_ His Youkai said and for once, he was beginning to agree.

He then pressed his forehead against hers and let out a long breath. "This Sesshomaru has been feeling the same."

••••••

* * *

**The translation to the lullaby Inuyasha sings to Shippo is here:**

_**Edo Lullaby**_

_**Hushabye, Hushabye!  
My good Baby, Sleep!**_

_**Where did my boy's baby-sitter go?**_  
_**Beyond that mountain, back to her home.**_

_**As a souvenir from her home, what did you get?**_  
_**A toy drum and a shō flute.**_

**It's an actual lullaby I found from the Edo period and thought it to be a**

**cute way for our favorite Hanyou to bond with her pup!**

**Yes it's been a while but I've been _so _tired! Hope you guys liked this Chappie, and yes, we have finally seen Kaede! YAY! Who's Yuri? Is Inuyasha right about the two Wind Daiyoukai? What's going on with Kouga? And Sango and Gakuto? We shall find out soon enough... Kehehehe... Please review, fave, and follow! **


	13. Chapter 11

**Hey, it's Ally, again ! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

* * *

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course)**

* * *

Sesshomaru allowed his eyes to close, but did not allow his awareness to slip at all. It was a habit his mother almost quite literally beat into him as he grew up as his father went off on official business matters and such.

He would leave him in the care of his mother, even though he didn't necessarily trust her. His father had been mated to his mother for the simple reason that she was strong. One of the strongest daiyoukai bitches available, and so he agreed with his father to mate with her, to have suitable heirs with her. That is, until she told him she would not bear anymore pups for him after Sesshomaru. This caused a rift between the two already estranged daiyoukai, and so Inu-Taisho began seeking out other possible mates.

His father hadn't considered the fact that Mirai was a very jealous woman, very possessive of _her_ things. Of course, the woman knew that by refusing his father to bed her that he had the right to seek out others, but that didn't cause her to feel any different.

As his father became more and more involved with his political life and also with finding another, she focused her anger on Sesshomaru. She was jealous of him as well, for Inu-Taisho loved his son. The beautiful woman would call for him, ordering her servants to bring forth her "beloved" son to her and she would teach him ways that would cause Inu-Taisho to look at his son differently. To cause Inu-Taisho to look at what he had created. An evil, dark child, one who she called her _Killing Perfection._

He became desensitized, not caring for social interactions. The young inu-prince would ignore the servant children, the same ones he had been previously enthralled with.

"My Sesshomaru, come sit next to your mother." She had once said as her son was finished being dressed by her maids. She waved them off, and he walked to her side, sitting down as she took a smoke from her pipe and exhaled, gazing her yellow eyes at the painting of Sesshomaru and his father that hung from the wall above the closet.

"Tell me, what is the meaning of perfection to you?" She asked, her voice low, hidden emotions causing him to shiver. "It means being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects." He said honestly. Was that not what it meant? He looked up at her as she adjusted her purple hakama and her eyes fluttered in annoyance.

"That is the general definition, yes." She said and turned to place her pipe down on the saucer that laid on the porcelain table near her long legs. Sesshomaru waited for her to continue. There was a point to her asking him such a random question, and she did not like to be interrupted when teaching him something.

"However, I meant for you to answer it yourself. Not from your knowledge of scrolls and lessons. What does it mean to you, Sesshomaru?" She asked once more, turning her face so that her eyes looked over him, skimming his every detail. She was trying to peer into his very soul.

"To this Sesshomaru, it means that whomever is being described as perfect is completely superior to all that surround him or her. They have complete and total power over every single living organism in their presence. They are not only feared, but respected. They are powerful, intelligent and completely capable of destroying all. Being perfect means that they have no flaws in their skill, and are unmatched in their mental capabilities." Mirai's son looked over at her as she absorbed what he had just said.

She began to smile, however it did not reach her eyes, her smiles never reached her eyes.

"Very good. That is exactly what I wanted to hear from you, my Sesshomaru."

•••

Sesshomaru was sitting in the library, reading over a chapter of the history of his Inu line when the sound of the library doors slammed shut. He smelled his mother's scent before he saw her. She always smelled of incense smoke and a citrusy fruit he guessed was from the Yuzu she regularly had in her tea.

"Mother-" He asked and she slapped him before he could finish his sentence.

"It is your fault! You damnable, wretched child! Had I not have had you, I would have been able to just return to my family and claim that he was going against the bond! But I cannot do that now! How could he do this to me? I am a daiyoukai, his mate! How could he be with a human? A mortal of all creatures? I would rather he bed a demon slayer before rutting with some human whore!" Her hair had fallen from the two ponytails slightly, her hair ornaments almost falling out completely. Her eyes were flashing crimson and he smelled the poison seeping from her claws.

"Mother, I do not understand-" Sesshomaru was tempted to hold his face, it was burning, but he simply stood and stared at his mother indifferently as her usually flawless porcelain face creased in anger.

"He is planning on mating a human bitch. She is too young as of now, but he has told me he loves her and plans to woo the human through human traditions openly in the court of her father. He believes that she is a strong choice simply because she is some princess with strong spiritual energy! That bitch will only have hanyou pups, weak, filthy, abominations!" He felt his mother's youkai flare and her eyes were flashing between blood-red and the normal mustard yellow.

"Abominations? But will her pups not be his as well?" He asked. He knew hanyou were unnatural creations, however, wouldn't his father's strong Inu blood be able to dilute the weak human blood somewhat?

By the look on his mother's face, he felt incorrect with his assumptions.

"They will be unnatural, revolting creatures fighting between the disgusting human blood it has running through its accursed veins and the regal blood of the Inu the abominations will be lucky to have." She scoffed and closed her eyes, a calming technique she had also taught himself.

"If you ever again in your life tell me that this woman's spawn have even the slightest chance of being on the level of your father or myself I will kill you." She then turned, adjusting her hakama as she left the same way she came.

•••

Five years later, his mother died. Sesshomaru had been called to her chambers and he was sitting near her futon, trying to ignore the strong smells of incense and sage.

"My son," she rasped, her eyes clouded as she tried to look in his direction. Gakuto had backed away from her and told them that he was going to be outside.

"Mother, you are not dying, are you?" He asked, and she nodded, smiling sourly. "My bond with your father was not one of love." She sighed and looked above her, the painting of Inu-Daiyoukai in their full forms amongst clouds and mountains captured her attention. "It did however, result in you. So I do not regret anything." She said and then glanced at him, sweat beading above her brow.

The scene was affecting him slightly, he would miss his mother, yes, but he had become overly desensitized to things of the heart. "I want you to promise me two things, my son." She said and he nodded, hands folded in his lap and his gaze on her lovely face as she continued, occasionally coughing into the sleeve of her thin kimono.

"Do not ever care for the abominations that woman creates. They will only be flawed, disgusting things. You are a perfect being, they will not be worth your time or energy." She swallowed and licked her dry lips as she continued. "Your father will give you Tenseiga, a sword forged from his fang. It has a twin, Tessaiga which will be inherited by the true heir. In order for Tenseiga to become powerful enough to be your own sword, Bakusaiga, you must become compassionate of others, more than likely this next heir. Promise me, you will not seek to create a more powerful sword. Promise me that you will not care for this creature, for it will not be my child, a pure daiyoukai." Her eyes pleaded with him, and he nodded.

He was confused however. Did his mother not want him to become more powerful? And how the hell would this Tenseiga become another sword altogether?

"Good." She sighed and rested her eyes, placing a clawed hand over her son's.

"Do not worry yourself over things you shall not learn of this instant. You shall learn everything in time." She said, noticing his curiosity and he simply nodded once more as her breathing deepened and her heartbeat slowed.

He stayed that way the rest of the day, until his mother died in his arms.

••••••

Blinking his eyes open, Sesshomaru sighed. He had a feeling his father would be opposed to his mother's last wishes, and her reasoning for asking him such things were beyond his understanding.

He gripped at Tenseiga and sighed once more. He couldn't help but care for his younger sibling, it was utterly foolish for her to ask him that. But he knew that he didn't completely have compassion for the hanyou, it was beyond him to feel that way.

As of late, he was beginning to think his feelings towards his sister were influenced by his youkai, which hadn't been in the presence of a truly powerful female Inu in centuries. However, he did find flaws in its reasoning.

She was a hanyou after all and would have pups with human blood. That in itself proved to be a problem for Sesshomaru. Humans were weak by nature and he said this without any hatred, it was the honest truth.

"Sesshomaru." His father was standing in front of him, his hand on the sword So'unga. His son looked up and his father's golden eyes flickered with an emotion the younger daiyoukai didn't comprehend.

"If it is my presence you wish to have, it is my presence you have received." He stood up gracefully and waited for his father to chuckle at him or even glare at him, however, he simply nodded and began to walk.

Sesshomaru raised a brow but simply followed, ignoring his father's strange behavior.

Was everyone's youkai on edge?

As they walked further into the forest, Sesshomaru looked at his father's shoulder cauldron, much like his own, and his two mokomoko, which represented his rank as higher than Sesshomaru in youkai nobility.

Lost in thought, he almost bumped into him as he stopped in the middle of the forest, gazing at the sky.

"Do you know why I sent your sister to live outside our home?" He asked and Sesshomaru blinked twice, his pointed ears twitching. Why was he asking him such a ridiculous question? "No, I have not been told of your reasoning." He replied curtly. It wasn't like his father had spoken much about Inuyasha to him to begin with.

"It is because her hanyou nature. Her powers fluctuate with the moon. On her human night, she would have been much to vulnerable to those who wished to harm her. She needed to be trained secretly, before she could join us." His father sighed, the breeze carrying his high ponytail around his torso, revealing his blue obi. "Father, I do not see the point of this conversation." Sesshomaru said. He truly didn't understand where the daiyoukai was headed with the purposeless exchange.

"Patience, Sesshomaru." His father growled, turning so that his son could see his agitation. He had his reasonings, and the pup needed to respect that his father was speaking, no matter if he did not understand.

"I am telling you this for a reason." He added, a bit softer this time, eyes softening as well as his golden gaze was met by his son's twin orbs.

"I am listening." Sesshomaru nodded, his eyes leveling respectfully as he kept quiet. He hated being scolded by his father. He was a fully grown youkai, but he did realize that his father demanded respect, much like Sesshomaru would once he became Lord.

"Hanyou have the tendency to have a human night, as I said, once every new moon night. There should be a new moon approaching us soon, as a matter of fact." His father said, his attention back on the moon. "She has most likely had three new moon nights since she has been at the castle, and we have not seen it yet. I am worried that while in the Southern Lands, she will have her human night and they will sense her weakness. I am asking for you to watch out for her, your sister, for I will be tending to other matters." He then turned towards him and gave Sesshomaru the most pleading look he had ever seen on the youkai. "Her well-being is important to me, and none of these men I trust more than my own son." He stepped closer and placed a hand on Sesshomaru's shoulder as he nodded. "I will not have anyone else watch her." He said and fixed his eyes upon his son. He knew it would be a hard decision, with the way Mirai had raised Sesshomaru to hate all things human, but he knew deep down, his son would not evade the want to protect. It was the way of the alpha, and he knew his son was an Alpha just by his Yoki.

"This Sesshomaru agrees, I shall watch over her as we stay in the South." He said and waited to be dismissed. Honestly, he wished he would have stayed asleep for once.

"I thank you, my son." Inu-Taisho smiled, his tanned face warming up as his lavender markings almost glowed in happiness. His children were going to be fine.

••••••

"Was that necessary!" Sango glanced at Inuyasha who was yelling at Miroku who had poked her with his staff to wake her up. It was morning and Hyousuke was serving everyone warm rice porridge with fish. She sat with Gakuto as they ate in a comforting silence as the hanyou kicked Miroku in the shin before dusting herself off and walking in the direction of everyone else, the houshi limping behind her.

"I had tried to awaken you quite a few times, so yes, that was necessary." Miroku grumbled, receiving a bowl from Hyousuke as the tanuki-daiyoukai stifled a laugh. The little show sure enough was entertaining but he was not about to piss his Lady off any further than the houshi did. "I'm not even all that hungry, ya dumb ass." Inuyasha flopped down and crossed her arms, eyes closed as her ears began to twitch. Boy was Miroku a piece of work.

"Does it look like I read minds!" He exclaimed, whipping his head so that his dark blue eyes were glaring at her, his braid almost slapping Kouga in the mouth.

"Well, with all that stupid houshi energy you got goin' on, I would've thought you could more than just throw talismans at people or chant some stupid spell." She said and Miroku rolled his eyes at their pointless banter. "I apologize Inuyasha-san. But it truly is a little early for all this shouting." Hyouta sat next to Sango and Inuyasha, a bowl in his own hands as he tried to calm the mood.

Sango had only met the youkai on one other occasion, but other than that, she only knew him as Hyousuke's mate and older twin brother.

"Blame the houshi." Inuyasha said, but it sounded as if her anger had subsided and she watched everyone eat from her seat on the ground. "I shall." Hyouta smiled at Miroku's open-mouthed stare and began to eat his own food as the other men began to pack things into the wagon.

"We should arrive soon if we take our leave in a few minutes." Inuyasha's father announced and looked over at her before returning to speaking with Sesshomaru. The two daiyoukai seemed very tense to Sango, which was strange.

"Lord Taisho does not wish to partake in a war." Gakuto whispered noticing her confusion. He knew more about both lords than she ever would, he had been around for quite a few generations of the Inu clan, his general knowledge of their personalities stretched probably beyond than their own, if that was possible. "I understand that, but it seems as though there is something else on his mind. I don't know, maybe I'm just trying to read into him too hard." She whispered back, finishing her bowl of food and setting it down. "It is possible, he does have both of his heirs going into the lands of a lord who doesn't necessarily see eye to eye with him." Gakuto's eyes warily looked over towards the taijiya, her own brown eyes filled with concern. She would protect Inuyasha even if the hanyou felt she didn't need protection, she was one of her closest friends. During their travels, they had developed a bond that Sango never thought she would have with another female again after the slaughter of her people. But Inuyasha gave her that. She gave her companionship and trust, and she would defend her with her life for that. But if her father was worried for her safety, she felt as though she should as well. He was an all might youkai after all. She had heard of his exploits and his wrath, Lord Inu no Taisho was a daiyoukai not to be, in the words of Inuyasha, "fucked with."

This other lord must be a true adversary if he was worried.

"I hope they can meet some kind of mutual ground. I myself have enough experience on the battlefield, however, fighting a whole army is another story." She muttered, clutching her Hiraikotsu, rubbing her soft hands over the rough weapon. He watched her and nodded in agreement. "You guys having a fun conversation?" Sango's ears caught the irritation in Inuyasha's voice and the woman nervously glanced over, a faint blush painting her cheeks. "We were merely talking about the weather!" Sango lied, almost covering her mouth instantly when the hanyou's ears twitched in her direction. "Sure. Like I'm really going to believe that." She rolled her eyes and looked over at Hyouta who had long since walked over to his brother to help pack his things. "You don't have to lie you know, I can hear much better than you think." She added, her pointed gaze now fixed on both her and Gakuto. Sango exhaled. "I'm just worried." She defended, honestly, was it wrong to hope that they didn't have to fight? They had been fighting for so long now.

"Well, we can handle whatever they throw at us. You both don't need to worry, and especially don't need to go around whispering about shit that is completely unimportant. We will all be fine, alright?" She offered Sango a small smile and Sango warmed up a bit, a tension in her shoulders she hadn't even noticed smoothed itself out. "Of course we will, we have each other." Sango returned her smile and glanced over at Miroku who was now brushing off foliage from Kirara's cream-colored coat. It was true that they had each other, they always would.

"Enough of the mushy chit-chat, it's time to head out." Kouga shouted from the other side of the temporary camp and Sango nodded, standing up. Inuyasha did the same, and they continued to look at each other with the same fire in each other's eyes.

They would not let any harm be inflicted on the other if they could help it.

••••••

"So you aren't scared?" Kouga asked Miroku as the houshi sat on his back, the wolf prince sprinting through the now thinning forest, mountains in view.

"I've been against worse enemies. I believe we can handle some spoiled lord." He said, grasping him closer as he jumped down from a tree and began to tread on the dirt path. Lord Taisho and Sesshomaru were ahead of them with Sango directly behind them on the demon neko and Gakuto behind her.

Inuyasha was on Ah-Un who was in the air above them and Hyouta and Hyousuke were behind the rest of them with the few soldiers that Lord Taisho had decided to bring.

"Naraku?" Kouga asked and he felt the human man attached to him tense, his heart beat accelerating. "Yes." The houshi sounded off, and Kouga felt bad for bringing up such a fresh wound. He remembered that the man had been cursed by the hanyou and that his whole family was cursed as well, with the wind-tunnel. It was something Kouga had found a bit sickening, that the damned half-demon swine could come up with such a thing.

"I'm sorry, I just-" "It's fine." Miroku hugged himself closer to Kouga, the smell of him beginning to calm him down. He didn't know how he did that exactly, make him feel better, but he enjoyed it, being in his presence.

"Alright." The youkai said, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The houshi really was light, almost like a female.

••••••

Heights are despicable. Inuyasha clutched to the dragon-youkai as it floated above her party. She really despised being in the air, it was uncomfortable and she felt vulnerable, but she could also clear her mind, without the others surrounding her with their worries and their attitudes. It hadn't even been that long of a journey and she had already argued with a soldier or two since that morning. Like what the hell?

Rolling her eyes, she stared petulantly at the ground. She felt super aggravated with everything and everyone... More specifically, Sesshomaru and her father. The two assholes had been unable to speak to her, either occupied with something 'more important' in her father's case or just blatantly ignoring her, like Sesshomaru. Did they really wish she would have stayed home? Stayed at the palace like some worthless, incapable bitch waiting for them to come back and tell them all about their journey? If that wasn't the case well, she sure as hell felt like it was. She didn't take being brushed off well, and she had to admit, she needed constant attention to keep her from feeling unwanted.

"Ah-Un," She whispered, her voice trembling as the creature began to grunt. Taking that as a response, she hugged herself to the youkai, her silver hair cascading down it's side. "Do you think I'm a burden?" She asked, eyes resting on his scaly skin.

She heard a rumbling form from inside him and she sighed. "I really wish I could understand what you say all the time. I don't know how that asshole does it." She said, petting the demon before she softly kicked his side. "But I do know you understand me. Ah-Un, I need you to land, just a little ways away from them, I'm going home."

••••••

_Was that a bit much? You might worry them, you know?_ Inuyasha heard herself begin to think, as always, she was trying to convince herself from doing what she was doing. She always did that, argue with herself before she finally decided that she was wrong and go back and try to undo whatever she did.

She groaned, gripping the reigns on Ah-Un a bit tighter as she glanced up at the sky. 'I am not going back now, I've been walking for hours, damn it!'

But was she correct in what she was doing? The hanyou knew she could be rash and hard-headed at times, but her father and Sesshomaru didn't need her there. Sango could handle herself, and even if something did happen, she had Gakuto, Kouga, and Miroku. They would all be just fine.

_But this... This isn't good, you shouldn't be alone, you don't know this area._ She glanced around at the swampy area, trees stretched out for miles and a fog had begun to form.

Yes, she hadn't been here before necessarily, but she had been in similar places. She wasn't scared of some swamp, and neither was her companion. Looking next to her, she watched as Ah-Un eyed his surroundings, both heads acutely aware of every sound, sight and smell. He pounded his clawed hooves through the mud, grunting every now and then.

The swamp smelled similar to rotted flesh and molded water, and the hanyou was definitely considering wrapping her Fire Rat's robe around her head so that her sensitive nose wouldn't smell the putrid gases that were emitted from the dark bubbles that popped in the murky water that they neared.

Ah-Un was lucky he had his snouts covered by the reigns and she was beginning to feel sick, especially when her bare feet began to sink into the mud. This was definitely not the best way they could've went, and judging by the creature's stomping around, he didn't want to walk through that water no more than she did. "We could fly, but I have no clue as to what the hell's in there." Inuyasha said aloud, more to herself than anything. She didn't want to dirty her clothing anymore than she already did, and that smell was just disgusting. With her mind made up, she fixed the saddle and tossed herself on, kicking Ah-Un's sides so that he lifted himself into the air. Sighing to herself, the bile that was building up within her stomach and threatened to push its way through her throat slowly calmed itself and leveled within her. It was the smell, why the hell was it so strong?

_I do not trust this place._

**(A/N Italics are used for Inuyasha's human thoughts and emotions while her youkai's thoughts and feelings are bold and italicized.**

As Ah-Un picked up speed, he began to thrash about, hissing in pain. "What the hell-" The hanyou tried to calm him by petting each of his long necks, but he ended up growling and hissing some more, crashing down and sliding through the mud in the process and tossing her off to the side. She slid into a tree, and grimaced as pain shot through her spine. "The fuck?" Groaning, she looked up to see what had him so worked up. He was tied down and there were men clad in armor, similar to that of the Samurai. A few of the same men surrounded her, and before she could reach for Tessaiga, she was being pulled up with her hands being bound behind her.

"Let me go!" She shouted, glancing over to the other men who were now holding Ah-Un down as he tried to toss them off. There were so many of them, and she was surprised she hadn't sensed them coming from the trees at all. She also didn't hear them either, which was strange.

"Shut up, woman." A man behind her growled, his voice deep and threatening as he kicked her and forced her onto the ground. "You fucker-" Inuyasha tried to growl, but her vocal cords seemed weak, too weak. It was almost... Human.

_No, no, no it can't be, it's too early!_ She whipped her head back looking up at the sky, and sure enough, the sun had set completely, and the moon was nowhere in sight.

She was still trying to process a way out, without abandoning Ah-Un when a pair of black boots splashed some mud onto her cheeks, causing her to look up and try to growl. It came out more like a groan, and the creature looked at her with amusement. Her dark gray eyes met light green impassive ones that were studying her, their fluorescence causing her to shudder as he began to smirk, revealing a beautiful set of fangs.

"Who might you be, you lovely specimen?" He drawled, his head tipping to the side as he gave her a once over. She took in his overall look, and might it have been a different situation, she may have found him slightly attractive. Despite his extremely pale complexion and strange light green hair and eyes, he looked relatively human, his claws weren't overly sharp nor did his pointed ears protrude much.

"Well, I could be asking you the same thing. Minus the whole lovely part." She spat, her eyes narrowing as he started to chuckle. "She's got a mouth on her, Takemaru!" He grinned, looking towards a man who had been standing next to him the entire time. The man nodded, brown eyes never meeting hers. "Well I've got more where that came from! Who the hell are you!" Inuyasha yelled, receiving a foot to her back from the man behind her.

"That is enough." The man before her said, and the foot raised, albeit slightly. "I am the lord of these lands. These are my men. Now, would you be so kind as to tell us whom you are, little one?" The man looked at her and her eye twitched. This was the asshole her father was here for?

"She is Lord Inu no Taisho's daughter, and I strongly suggest that you unbind her, lest you want to meet the wrath of the Lord of the West himself." A strong voice boomed from behind them, and they all turned to see Sesshomaru walking gracefully towards them, probably having leapt over the swampy water. "Lord Sesshomaru! It has been far too long," the Lord of the South said kindly, though his eyes showed no emotion.

"So this is the hanyou spawn of Lord Taisho." He then fixed his gaze on her, an eyebrow raised. "Do you mock the blood of Inu-Taisho, Lord Toshihiro?" Sesshomaru growled, the sound reverberating through Inuyasha's chest and the man bowed slightly. "I wouldn't dare. Takeshi, undo her bindings and the beast's." He then straightened up and waved at Ah-Un before the guy behind her cut the ropes free.

She glared at them all before she felt Sesshomaru stepping to her side, grasping her wrists. "You are bruised." His voice was soft and his golden eyes were clouded as he looked from her thin, pale wrist to her face. "Yeah, it'll be like that 'til morning." She looked at him as his thumb began to trace the darkening mark.

"Let us be on our way then." He said, but not before picking her up and placing her on Ah-Un himself, and leading the way while holding the reins.

She then remembered that she was human, and that she did _not_ like people seeing her like that.

••••••

Watching Inu-Taisho pace the room was a bit entertaining to say the least, but Gakuto knew that he was extremely worried about Inuyasha's well-being. "Lord Taisho, walking around the entire room is going to get you nowhere." He said, and his Lord nodded, but continued the repetitive, nervous action. "Lord Sesshomaru is fully capable of tracking her down. She couldn't have gotten far either, judging by the lack of the moon." He added, but Inu-Taisho flinched at the latter part of his statement. "That is the exact reason why I am worried. She's human! In these lands, humans are not treated the same way as they are elsewhere. She should not have come, I swear I should have listened to my instincts! What kind of father allows his child to go into a situation where he knows she may be harmed?" He shouted, his jagged markings becoming darker. His youkai was flaring, and it was becoming a bit stifling to be in the same room as him.

"My Lord, please calm down." Sango said softly from her seat next to Gakuto. "Inuyasha has survived many human nights on her own. I only discovered that she had these nights by accident. She normally likes to be left alone anyways. She is probably just fine." The slayer kept her gaze down, fidgeting from the strong youkai Lord Taisho was emitting, but slowly, he became slightly stable and the tension in the room disappeared.

"You must know her well, I presume." He said, looking out the only window in the room and she smiled, giving him a slight nod. "We have fought together for a while now, my Lord. She is like a sister to me." The taijiya's gaze was fixed to nothing in particular, but the healer could tell she was remembering the times Inuyasha and the monk were out fighting by themselves along with Shippo and Kirara.

It felt like such a long time ago.

"Is that so?" Lord Taisho said, and he turned to smile and her, his eyes warming up. "That is good to hear, that she had someone like you with her during such a time in her life."

"I would have never left her, either. She is important to me, and to Miroku." Sango and Lord Taisho looked at each other for a long while before he nodded and his attention was pulled to the entryway by a soft knock.

"My Lord, Lord Toshihiro and his men have arrived along with Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Inuyasha." Hyousuke looked a bit wary, he probably had sensed the Lord's youkai from outside but he grinned when he noticed Lord Taisho's demeanor had changed.

"Show me to my children."

••••••

She was twirling strands of her raven locks around her fingers as she stared ahead, her legs on either side of Ah-Un and Sesshomaru staring at her every now and then.

She looked completely different, but then again, exactly the same. Her eyes were darker, but he saw so much more emotional depth in them. Her skin was slightly paler, and the triangular ears that sat atop her head were now replaced by smaller human ears. However, the strangest thing was her hair. It looked thicker, more wavy, and the color was foreign to him. Of course, Rin had dark hair as did many humans, but on Inuyasha? It was strange.

"Stop staring at me, it's not gonna make me change back." She mumbled at him, her long lashes closed and fluttering against her soft cheeks as she closed her eyes and yawned. "You're making me uncomfortable." She added, and then looked at him.

"My... Apologies, but your transformation has my full attention." He said and he heard her curse before slumping on Ah-Un and sighing. "I know I look weird. Normally, I'd be by myself today." She said, hurt coating her words along with some other emotion. Annoyance, perhaps? "You do not appear to look 'weird'. Just, different." He defended truthfully. In his opinion, she was still beautiful by even youkai standards.

"I hate 'different'." She said, staring ahead at the Lord of the South and his men as they led them towards his castle. It was a bit smaller than her father's, but she didn't necessarily care. She just wanted something else to capture her attention other than Sesshomaru.

"Why? Because you are a hanyou?" He asked and she twitched, looking at the back of his head as his waist length hair swayed with his graceful movements. "Yes." She said with a bit more bite than she had meant and he looked over at her shortly before continuing on. "What is it like, being a hanyou?" He asked.

_What is it like being **nosey**?_ She groaned inwardly but decided there was no harm in answering the question. It wasn't like he would fully understand anyways.

"It's strange. I feel separated all the time, at least mentally. My inner youkai, I guess it would be called, is constantly arguing with my human subconscious, trying to become the dominant being in my body. She hates being locked away, at least that's what it seems. My human self is always trying to prove her own points, saying they should just leave me alone and let me decide things on my own. Then, there's me. I just ignore the shit outta them." Sesshomaru raised a brow as he listened. He had never heard of one's youkai manifesting itself into a completely separate being. Then again, he was a daiyoukai, a pure-blooded demon. Not a hanyou.

"It can be hard too. Sometimes it's confusing to know whose thoughts are whose, whose feelings are whose. But I've learned to live with it." She was beginning to get a barrage of grunts and growls in the back of her head from her youkai for telling him about them but she ignored it. For some strange reason, she felt Sesshomaru had the right to know, even if she didn't know if she could trust him completely.

"Why is your youkai not compelled to take over completely? One would think that it would not want to be set aside, especially considering the fact that the blood of your youkai is of pure Inu descent." As they began to see the swamp fog disappear and actual green grass in patches began to form on the trail, Sesshomaru asked the question that had been bothering him since he brought up the topic.

"Well, it does try, but my human subconsciousness can normally talk the thing outta whatever dumb thing it might wanna do." Why had Sesshomaru asked that? It wasn't really... Relevant. "Your human subconsciousness?" Now he turned to look at her and almost dropped the reigns. "That is simply not possible," his eyes widened minutely before looking away. "It does not make sense to this Sesshomaru. It is a superior being, how could it allow itself to be conformed within your mind by your human self?" Cautiously, he asked her without sounding too insensitive. However, she still shot him an aggravated look before pointedly looking away. "Well I don't fucking know." She said furiously, and any form of conversation was ended.

••••••

"My Lord, my Lady, we shall be arriving shortly." The man whom Inuyasha remembered to be Takemaru stopped next to her to announce that they'd be arriving to the palace in no time. She kind of gave him a 'no-fucking-duh' look. She could feel the energy radiating from it. But she then remembered he was human and shrugged. "Thanks." She said and he looked up, and she noticed he was a lot cuter up close than when he was standing behind his fucktard of a master.

"It is nothing, Lady Inuyasha. However, I do believe I should be apologizing for our behavior earlier... We thought you to be a trespasser. We do not normally receive people from the outside in these lands." Sesshomaru grunted at his statement but stayed silent, choosing to lead Ah-Un towards the palace walls that protruded above the trees that surrounded it instead of making a comment. Of course they didn't receive visitors, they were uncouth savages.

"Well, I see why." Inuyasha said and the man cocked his head to the side, long brown hair moving to his other shoulder. "I do not quite understand." He said and she smiled, gazing into his brown eyes that were slightly slanted, gorgeously almond-shaped.

"The way you guys just assault outsiders, it's no wonder people don't just pass through here. They're scared to die, Takemaru-san. That's a good way to keep the lands free of wanderers, but still. If I wasn't human right now, I would have been extremely annoyed and probably would have fought you guys off." She clarified and a look of understanding was her reply. "It was not always like this." He said softly after a while, and she nodded her head in his direction to continue.

"My Lord's father was much more... Kind to others. However, it is not my place to say such things." He looked nervous as he glanced ahead at the Lord of the South who continued to walk in front of his men.

Rolling her eyes, Inuyasha sucked her teeth. "Well I could definitely believe that. Your lord or whatever is a certified asshole." She said and received a look of disbelief from the human man next to her. "He might hear you, my Lady!" Looking between her and his master, he looked pretty worried, almost like an injured animal. Thinking about it a bit harder, he looked like Shippo when he dropped his food.

The hanyou couldn't help but laugh.

"Inuyasha, control yourself." Sesshomaru tossed her a glare before glancing towards Takemaru. "It is not fitting for the daughter of Inu no Taisho to guffaw like some cackling dog." Sesshomaru wished the hanyou would show some decency. However, he probably wasn't that lucky when it came to her. "Dog! Do I look like a friggin' dog?" She growled, and received a slight smirk from her older brother. "Not quite at the moment." Was his response and she began to blush.

"It's the ears, ain't it!" "Possibly." "Go fuck yourself." "This Sesshomaru does no such thing." "Feh."

Watching the siblings argue, Takemaru couldn't help himself but admire Lady Inuyasha's personality. She was quite the woman, and she was lovely too. He wondered what it would be like to have her talking with him like that. So open, so normal.

He had never met a woman with such a mouth either. She obviously could care less what his master thought, even as they neared the entrance of his home. She simply looked at him and rolled her eyes and continued to talk about him like he wasn't there. Of course, she wasn't necessarily slandering his lord, but he doubted the daiyoukai would find her jokes about his, "pretty boy attitude", as amusing as her brother seemed to.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Inuyasha, we have arrived at the Southern palace. My lord wishes for you to be escorted to the main hall. Your father and his entourage are awaiting you both." As he passed through with the two Inu, a guard spoke before closing the gates behind them.

"It's pretty quaint compared to father's home." The hanyou looked around at the bamboo forest that led to the main home. Takemaru glanced over at her as she adjusted in her seat and began to stroke her hair.

Yes, she was definitely beautiful.

••••••

"This place is so..." Inuyasha was entranced by the stone garden that they walked around to enter the courtyard of the main home. It was so contemporary.

"Average." Was Sesshomaru's choice word as he rolled his eyes. "Common, normal, inferior to our own home." He added and she sighed.

After getting off of Ah-Un, Takemaru promised to bring him to their stables and get him watered, fed, and thoroughly washed from the little episode in the swamp.

He was a nice guy. Unlike her jerk of a brother. "It's actually pretty cute." She pouted, she really thought the palace was nice. It reminded her of the temple. It wasn't gaudy or extravagant, but it was nice, well, in looks. The aura, however, was a bit off. It gave her chills as soon as they entered and they closed the gate behind her. She was human right now, and morning wouldn't come for a while. She felt defenseless and she did not like it one bit.

"Cute is a word that should never be paired with the home of a lord." He said, looking at every little detail with distaste. The wooden floors? He glared at. The paper walls? Turned his nose up at. The lack of decorative objects? Mumbled about.

"Kami, would you get your head out of your ass? It's not bad." She groaned. He had been moping about the entire time they walked down the halls being led by two of Lord Toshihiro's men.

He glared at her. "This Sesshomaru will not be spoken to that way." And he began to pointedly ignore her.

How mature.

••••••

"Inuyasha!" Sango flung her arms around the hanyou's neck as she entered the eastern wing with Sesshomaru.

"You had us so worried!" Placing her face into the crook of her neck, Sango sighed. She had turned into a human, something definitely could have happened if Sesshomaru hadn't noticed she wasn't with the group anymore and set out to look for her.

"Well I'm fine," The squished hanyou groaned, trying to breathe. Sango was strong as hell, and she really didn't want any broken ribs or anything so she squeezed out of her embrace slightly and patted her back. "I promised I wouldn't go anywhere." She smiled and that seemed to lighten the taijiya up. Gakuto glared at her but his eyes softened when she stepped in front of him and he could get a closer look. "Your hair," he said, reaching out a clawed, tanned hand to brush her bangs to the side. "I changed as soon as I left." Inuyasha whispered, and gave her old friend a hug. "Don't you dare do this to us again, pup." He said so only she could hear and she nodded, letting the pup thing slide by.

He then stepped back and Inuyasha saw her father leaning on a bamboo table as he watched her reunite with everyone.

"Otousan-" she almost started to cry when he rushed to her side and hugged her, his soft silver hair enveloping her. "I thought I could have lost you tonight." His voice was pained, almost raw, like he had been yelling for hours, which he probably was.

He rubbed her back, and stroked her dark hair, remembering her mother for a brief moment, how he had hugged her exactly the same way their last moments together.

"I'm sorry, I just, I don't know. I wasn't thinking." She said, hands pressed to his chest as he sighed. "I won't leave you guys again." She said softly and she felt his whole body shudder before backing up, his eyes warm. "You have a home with us, child." He said and she smiled, reaching out to stroke a handful of wavy, silver hair. "You let your hair down." she noted and he nodded, stroking his mokomoko.

"This night has been rather... Stressful." He glanced toward Sesshomaru and waved him over.

"I am glad you are both here."

••••••

Everyone was shown to their rooms that night, the Lord of the South and Lord Taisho agreeing that it had been a long evening and that members of both parties deserved rest. Kouga, Miroku, and Lord Taisho's other men were shown to their guest quarters while Sango, Inuyasha and Kirara were shown to their own. Inuyasha had been offered her own room, but decided against it. She didn't feel safe on her own and felt safer with Sango around.

Sesshomaru and Lord Taisho chose to have their own rooms prepared.

As Sango slept, Kirara curled at the foot of her futon, Inuyasha sat in the corner, the sliding door next to her opened so that she could look outside at the stone garden and the sky.

She couldn't sleep, not until she felt her youkai blood pumping through her veins and she wasn't human again.

Sighing, she stood up and walked outside, her bare feet not making a sound on the cool wooden floor.

As she wandered about, she opted to walk towards the stables, having seen Takemaru walk in the direction opposite of her and Sango's room, she walked around the garden and opened the wooden gate.

"Ah-Un?" She whispered, her sleeping gown flowing against her skin. Her weak human nose couldn't make out his scent, and her eyes definitely couldn't see passed her nose so she felt around the stables for some source of direction. "Ah-Un, where the hell are you," she whispered again, this time, hearing a low grunt. It came from her right, a stable a few feet away and she walked slowly, her toes feeling around the floor for any obstacles.

When she reached him, she saw he was laying down on furs that had been piled down so that he could sleep comfortably.

"You're so spoiled you know that?" She smiled as his two heads looked at each other before lowering themselves back down.

"Sorry for earlier, I couldn't sense them approaching us." She began to thrum her fingers on the wooden railing, listening to Ah-Un's breathing.

"Next time, I have to pay a lot more attention. We would've gotten hurt today if it wasn't for Sesshomaru." She slid down, looking through the large gaps in the stall at the youkai.

If it wasn't for Sesshomaru, her recklessness could have gotten her _and_ Ah-Un killed.

She couldn't help it, and she didn't know why. Maybe it was because of her human emotions, or maybe it was because she was tired, so tired, but tears began to fall down her face and she gripped her dress, biting her lower lip so as to not make a sound.

"Inuyasha," as she cried into her hands she thought she heard something.

"Inuyasha." No, someone was _definitely _calling her name. She lifted her face to see Sesshomaru in a white kimono, normal save for the family crest above his left breast.

"Wh-what the hell are you doing?" She choked before trying to back away from him. He was not supposed to see her like this, **no one** was supposed to see her like this.

"I was on my way to check on Ah-Un, considering he had been through a tiring evening. I heard you sniffling as soon as I passed the main hall." He pursed his lips before glancing toward the youkai behind the stall and then refocusing on her.

He walked closer and kneeled down, placing a hand on either side of her face. "What is the meaning of these tears you allow to stain your face?" He asked as he bent down to lick her cheeks, wiping the tears from her eyes.

She sighed, looking away. She didn't want him to see her looking so vulnerable, so broken.

"I felt bad for Ah-Un." She whispered. It was true, at least partially. "Do not tell me that you are crying simply because of him." Sesshomaru grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look at him. "Do not lie." He said and she groaned. If she had been hanyou, she would have slapped his hand away and ran. At least then, she wouldn't have to be forced to talk. "I almost got us both killed. If you hadn't found us... I don't know what would have happened! I'm such a fuck up. I couldn't have just stayed with you guys and just shut up. No, I allowed myself to think that I wasn't needed, that you and Otousan would be better off without me. After what happened in the swamp, I can't help but believe that even more. I proved myself right, Sesshomaru! This, this whole human thing, it gets in the way of things," Inuyasha couldn't look at him anymore. She closed her eyes and just cried, and he let her. He hugged her close to him, and allowed her to whimper into his hakama, her tears dampening his shoulder.

As the two siblings sat in their embrace, the sun began to rise, and Sesshomaru could see the faint circle of the sun above the trees and the palace. When he looked at his sister, he watched with intrigue as her dark black hair slowly turned silver, starting from the ends. Her hanyou ears sprouted up and began to twitch and he felt the blunt human nails that were gripping at his arms slowly sharpen into her claws.

He stared silently as she looked up, the dark gray eyes from the previous night replaced by the golden eyes that deemed her the child of royal Inu blood. "It's morning." She smiled, licking at her newly formed fangs. "Thank Kami." She sighed, pushing herself from Sesshomaru. As she dusted herself off, he couldn't help but continue to watch. Would she revert back? Was that it?

"Hey, thanks for letting me cry on you. I'm sorry about that." She blushed and began to scratch at her nose nervously as she looked around the now brightening room. Man, was she embarrassed.

"It is... Fine." Sesshomaru couldn't find words at the moment, he was still extremely interested in what just happened.

"Thanks." She repeated and then looked back at him. Why the hell was he staring so hard? "Sesshomaru? Are you alright?" The younger Inu placed her small hand on his shoulder and began to pat him. "It's normal, you know. That whole transformation thing." She said. She kind of guessed it was weird to see. Normally, she wouldn't have been caught dead on her human night, so she didn't really know how to deal with it. "Normal?" He smirked before standing up and dusting himself of the straw that littered the ground. She nodded, looking at him like he was mentally incapacitated. "Well, as normal as it could be considering the circumstances." She reiterated and he rolled his eyes. "I understand that. It was just extremely different to witness it than to read or hear about it from word of mouth."

"You've heard about it?" She asked and he nodded his head, "During lessons as a younger pup, I used to hear about hanyou transformations or from my father and any other person who would dare to speak to me about them. My mother was not a big fan your kind, so normally I would have to seek out this information."

Oh yes, his mother.

"Wait, you 'sought out' information about hanyou? Why?" Inuyasha raised a brow. Since when was he ever interested in them? She guessed he got used to hanyou or something but not actually willingly looked for information on them.

He waved a hand and started to walk towards the entrance, waist-long ashen hair flowing behind him. "I figured the knowledge would be relatively important in the future."

••••••

"So they shall serve our food?" Hyouta was confused. Wasn't his brother allowed to feed his lord and his family?

"It's not Lord Taisho's palace. He told myself that it would be considered rude if I serve everyone in Lord Toshihiro's home. He says that he is fully capable of providing for his guests." The cook shrugged, his mate could be extremely overbearing at times.

"But that could be some kind of trickery! What if he poisons Lord Taisho or worse; the humans. We do have humans with us, they can't handle toxins as well as demons can. You know this." Hyouta retorted. He agreed with Lord Taisho's opinion however, the whole wanting to serve the guests thing didn't seem to fit Lord Toshihiro's character. At least not in the elder tanuki's eyes.

"If there is any poison, I would thing Lord Sesshomaru would be able to smell it or something. He can create one of the most deadly poisons known to man." Hyousuke argued. "Honestly, Lord Taisho would not have agreed if he didn't have some sort of plan."

"Indeed." Startling the two tanuki-daiyoukai was Gakuto who was rubbing at his eyes and yawning, his fangs gleaming white in the light of the morning filtering through the small dining hall.

"Our lord is fully capable of handling these situations. If it is a matter of pride for your mate, I would suggest you keep quiet for now. Now, the humans shall be fine. I am a healer and I've brought plenty of remedial potions and herbs along with me, so if anything should occur, they'll be fine." The tiger demon yawned again and sat at the long, brown table that had a red tablecloth across it. The room was relatively small and the seats were just small, gold cushions.

Beautiful? Yes. Comfortable? No.

"Pride? Of course I am proud of Hyousuke, however, I am more worried about everyone's well-being. But, I guess you are right Gakuto-sama." Hyouta sighed and leaned onto his mate, rubbing his face on his arm.

He hadn't slept very well last night, he was too worried about the rest of today.

••••••

"Kirara really needs to stretch her legs." Sango and Inuyasha walked through the main hall and through the corridor that led them to the stone garden. Across from it were the stables and then right behind it was the entrance to the courtyard.

"She slept all day? I couldn't do that." Bare feet slapping on the warm ground, the hanyou curled her toes into the dirt and smiled. It had been a while since she actually took the time to be outside.

Sango turned her head to the side and nodded, watching as her friend sniffed at the air, eyes closed and her arms to the side. "You're a much more active creature than Kirara is." The neko mewed at her shoulder and then pounced down, transforming into her full form and stretching her limbs out.

"Well, sometimes." Inuyasha opened her eyes and yawned, sitting down on the wooden steps of the outside hallway. She was a bit tired, but she also couldn't sleep. For some reason, her youkai had been extremely quiet since the day before and her human self as well. She had ignored it, thinking that maybe they had just grown tired of arguing back and forth. But somehow, she felt there was something the matter as she watched the wind blow through the fields, thousands of flowers sprouted everywhere and the bamboo forests continued on until they met the mountains and larger trees. She could even hear the sound of a stream nearby. It was too... peaceful for her liking.

"My ladies," Lost in thought, she hadn't even noticed the sound of a male voice at her left or even feel Sango nudge her with her elbow.

"Takemaru-san, what a fine morning today is." She turned to see Sango speaking with Takemaru, who had his long brown hair tied in a top knot. He was wearing similar clothing to the night before, armor over a thick layer of clothing. "Indeed." He bowed in her direction and then fixed his gaze onto the confused hanyou. "My lady, it seems as though you look a lot more like your father today." He bowed to her as well and gave her a smile, his eyes twinkling with a mischievous amusement.

"Well, do my looks not appeal to you?" Raising a brow, the hanyou rolled her eyes and looked back at the fields. Why'd he have to come and ruin her morning which was already spoiled by Sesshomaru appearing out of nowhere and witnessing her little breakdown.

The man had the decency to look away and blush, Sango almost laughed but instead coughed into her hand. "I'll be checking on Kirara, she looks like she's a bit lonely." The taijiya stood up and shot Inuyasha an amused look and walked away quickly, the green bottom of her kimono matching with the grass while the pink top reminded the ashen haired half-demon of flowers.

Traitor.

"Don't mind her." Inuyasha brushed her hair to her right and patted the now empty space next to her. "Come sit." She said, looking up at the now extremely nervous man. "I won't bite." She smiled, her fangs gleaming as he gulped. He did, however, take the seat, even though she teased him incessantly.

"So... You are truly a hanyou?" He asked after several moments of them watching the Sango watch Kirara from her seat near a large rock centered between the bamboo forests on either side. Inuyasha nodded, her slender fingers running through her long tresses, feeling the soft ends. "I am. Is there a problem?" She asked. To be honest, she had hoped he wouldn't ask her about being half a demon. He seemed not to mind her the night before, even if her father and his lord had some sort of issue with each other.

Takemaru's eyes widened. Why would she think he thought her problematic? She hadn't done anything to deserve his skepticism or even his hatred. "No, Lady Inuyasha, I find your nature to be fascinating." He beamed at her. He truly did think that she was fascinating. She had the strength of a pure-demon but then the weaknesses of an average mortal. It was quite interesting to him that such a creature existed. Especially such an exquisite one.

She turned her head towards him so fast he almost thought she received whiplash. "You find me fascinating?" Her eyes searched his face and his she smelled him, trying to find any traces of nervousness or any sign that he might be lying. He was, of course, working for Lord Toshihiro, so she couldn't really put it past him.

But either he was really skilled at masking his scent, which she highly doubted, or he was actually telling the truth. She genuinely smiled and took his hand into hers, almost pouncing him. "Thank you!"

She grasped his hands and her golden-topaz colored eyes widened in glee. He had made her happy. He held her small hands tighter and nodded in response. "Does that please you, my lady?" He asked and her lips opened but then shut again before opening once more. "It makes me happy that someone other than my friends can except me. Especially since we just met." Dropping his hands back into his lap, she placed hers into the sleeves of her red hakama.

"I see no reason to judge. I myself am different. I was raised by a clan of women warriors in a village not too far from here. When I neared my eighteenth year, the previous master started recruiting men to be in his army. My family told me that it was a chance to bring honor to us, and here I am, three years later, ranking right below Lord Toshihiro." As he spoke, he looked at his katana that was tied to his hip and placed under his left hand.

"It was hard to achieve that place, many of his men are youkai as you're probably well aware."

She nodded, and placed her hands on her back. Something was pulsing, and it was beginning to sting.

"I do wish to apologize about that again, we truly had no right to attack you like that," he continued, but she was beginning to tune him out. Her tail-bone, something was pressing against it. She felt her spine pressing against her skin and she groaned out in pain, placing her hands in front of her. The pain then shot through her arms and then settled in her fingers, throbbing underneath her claws.

"Shit-" she rasped, and she felt herself hurl forward, her back cracking and she smelt blood.

"Inuyasha, what the hell happened!" Sango was by her side soon enough and she heard Takemaru say he was going to go inside and get some help.

"I don't know," the hanyou felt an unbearable itch beneath her fingers now and as she clawed at the wooden floor, watching as the sharp nails fell off completely and then the pain shot back through her body again, reducing her to a twitching ball curled up within herself.

"It hurts so bad!" She groaned and then the she felt something like small needles pricking at the skin that was now empty underneath her nail bed and she watched as new claws, sharper and slightly longer began to grow back. Her tail-bone continued to pulse and she felt another painful wave wrack through her body. This time, as her claws grew in she felt something ripping through the skin below her spine and she placed her hands over her back, and she felt something hard moving beneath her skin, it was cylindrical, and it was freaking her out.

"Grab her by the arms and do not touch her below the waist, I have no idea what is causing this." Gakuto's voice reached her ears and she silently thanked Kami as Sango grabbed one arm and someone else, she guessed was Takemaru, grabbed the other.

What the fuck was happening?

••••••

"I've never heard of this happening before." Having told the human Takemaru to wait outside, Gakuto instructed Inuyasha to pull her hakama down so that he could inspect her back. Sango sat aside, patiently watching and lending her friend some support even if it was from a distance.

"Heard of what?" The young woman before him asked, her tone faltering. She was scared and he guessed he would have been too as well. Looking around for his bag that he had brought, he cursed himself for forgetting to bring it when the mortal man came running into his chambers, awaking him abruptly. Had they been at his master's home, he would've slashed the man's throat. But he listened as he told him about his young charge being in pain and convulsing outside.

"Well, I would think you have been told of youkai changing form as they go through the process of growing into their powers and bodies. Well, it is similar to the pubescent stage of humans. If I were to guess, you are approximately the age of an eighteen year old human being. That being said, I'm going to guess that your growing stage has been prolonged because of your being a hanyou. However, I've never heard of a hanyou actually surviving this... Process." As he began to trace his hand down her spine, he noted that it had shifted and was now laying closer to her skin, making way for something to be expelled out of her body.

"Child, I will need you to pull your robes down a bit further." He stated matter-of-factly and he expected her to curse or even call him an old pervert, but instead, she gripped the red hakama and the white under fabric and pulled it to her front, exposing her entire back to him and her rounded bottom. He gasped, and looked over to Sango, his eyes wide in shock.

"What-what is it?" Turning to face the healer, Inuyasha noticed he looked a bit disheveled. "Is something wrong?" She asked and he shook his head vehemently. "It's not that there's a problem... Just that this is completely new to me," he swallowed before continuing, "Your spinal column has moved to the point that it s closer to the surface of your skin. It is almost as if it is making way for _tails_ to grow. But that is impossible, considering that you aren't a full-blooded daiyoukai." He said and she almost hopped up off of her seat on the small table that Takemaru provided them in Gakuto's room.

"Wh-what the hell do you mean my spine is moving around?" She turned her head so she could look down her pale back but her hair got in the way. But sure enough, as she began to speak about it, she felt her bones straining beneath her muscles. "Oh my... Kami..." The hanyou now stood up exposing herself to the quickly reddening healer who averted his gaze towards his futon. "What the fuck! Why is it movin' around if I ain't gonna get tails?!"

"Inuyasha-Please allow Gakuto to explain... Freaking out is getting us nowhere." Sango sighed.

Relieved, Gakuto began to speak. "Well, one thing that I know for sure is that your father and your brother have their mokomoko for a reason. They normally form in very strong daiyoukai and are retained parts of their true youkai form. With this... revelation, I would assume that you most likely have one as well. At least, now you may have the ability to change from your more humanoid form. That is, if your human blood does not conflict with these changes." Watching the exchange, Sango was left utterly speechless. Being taught about youkai as a child, she of course had learned a few things about hanyou. Most of the stories she had come by normally told of the creatures dying after they reached the point of maturity. She, of course, never really thought about Inuyasha going through it. Some part of her may have even tried to deny that one day it could happen to her. But watching as she seemed to walk and talk and seem normal, she guessed that the worst had just been dealt with. She hadn't died and hadn't gone rogue during the process.

Strange. But then again, Sango was sure that she hadn't finished the whole transformation just yet.

As she began to put her clothes on, Inuyasha asked between grunts, "Wait so you're not fucking with me, are you?" And glanced around at Gakuto who was now wiping the wooden table she had been sitting on.

"And why in the hell would I do that? This is serious! I actually have to speak with your father about this as soon as I run a few blood tests in a moment." Adamantly waving his hands, he began to look around for his satchel which held most of the things he had brought on the trip and asked for her to sit down on the table once more after cleaning it. But before she did, she glanced around to her back and sighed.

"Do I have to sit? Cause my ass hurts." Inuyasha rubbed at her bottom and Gakuto rolled his eyes and began to mutter incoherently. Walking over to his futon, he grabbed a pillow and placed it on the wooden table. "Now, could you please take a seat so that I may draw some blood?" He asked with a hint of annoyance, and she growled, holding out her arm. "No need to be an asshole. I did just like, have my spine almost come out my ass."

"Well to be more specific, Inuyasha, your tail would actually appear _above_ your ass." Sango giggled when the hanyou glared in her direction. "It's true." She defended, hands held up and the hanyou's ears flicked against her head, twitching as the tiger youkai cut open a small incision on her right arm and placed a glass tube underneath her cut, collecting blood until he pulled it away.

"Either way, it hurt." Sighing, Inuyasha stood up and tried to walk, the ballooned out effect of her bottoms annoying her. It wasn't helping that her back still hurt like hell. It was as if the white-hot burning sensation was still there.

"I'll draw some tests from this and speak to you later. However, it would be good for your health if you probably had some rest and limited your physical activity." Gakuto called before waving at Sango as she followed Inuyasha out of his room. He was left to sit on his large futon and gaze out the large window in front of him and silently pray to the gods that Inuyasha's changing didn't mean what he thought it meant.

Her demon blood was beginning to fight for dominance, which meant she would also begin to have a heat cycle. And if she was going to have a heat cycle, Lord Taisho was going to slaughter each and every male that tried to get close to her.

"We're fucked."

••••••

Sesshomaru maintained a cold stare as he sat in Lord Toshihiro's private study. His father was to his right, the place of the Lord of the house, and he was to his left. Of course, his sister was supposed to be there as well, but because of the circumstances of their visit being mainly because of the Lord's threats to her, Lord Taisho decided not to have her inside. Besides, her temper would most definitely flare if the ignorant youkai said anything stupid.

"I am quite honored to have you both within my home." Toshihiro began, his light green eyes fluttering as he looked between the two Inu daiyoukai. "We are honored to have been allowed here, Lord Toshihiro." His father replied and bowed slightly with Sesshomaru following suit.

The Lord of the South nodded. "Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" He grinned, his sickening aura flaring as he glanced in Sesshomaru's direction.

"That would be ideal." Said Lord Taisho, placing his fists on either thigh, his left hand ready to reach for his sword should the young mongrel try anything.

"I take it you have considered my offer and have not come here to agree?" Asked the dragon daiyoukai, his head tilting to the side slightly and reaching for his cup of tea. Sesshomaru's father twitched and he heard the sound of him grinding his teeth together before he composed himself and shook his head. "Although your offer was quite... tempting, I would have to say I am still going to have to decline. My father and my grandfather both worked too hard to create the West into what it has become. Combining it with the South, would of course, bring resources to both lands and combine the wealth, however, I am not willing to lose the culture we have fought so hard to uphold."

"I am sorry to hear that. But I must say that I cannot force you into anything, Lord Taisho, and I have come to the decision that fighting for your land would go against my entire reasoning for wanting to reach out in the first place. My men were sent to your lands not too long ago to speak with you, however, I have come to the understanding that they fought and harmed quite a few of your men. Under my authority, the proper punishment has been ruled out. I would also like to apologize for threatening your daughter. My mate and I had a discussion about my words and she convinced me that even if I do not agree with your personal choices, it is not my right to rule out judgement." The younger Lord paused before sipping his tea again and continuing. "The treaty you have come here for will be signed. That is, if you accept my apologies, Lord Taisho."

Sesshomaru eyed the incompetent worm before his eye began to twitch. His apology was a bit forced but he sensed no trepidation or untruthfulness.

"Consider yourself forgiven, Lord Toshihiro." The inu daiyoukai smiled softly and lifted his hand to shake the other Lord's. "Now, let us sign the papers and you all may be off." Toshihiro shook his hand and then smiled again, less forced, and Sesshomaru almost sighed. He still had another hour of them reading and going through the motions before actually signing the damn thing. If the meeting hadn't called for a witness of noble blood, he would have left already.

••••••

Changed into a new, lighter hakama, Inuyasha grinned as she noticed the pain in her lower back had finally receded.

She was clad in an outfit similar to Sesshomaru's, except that it was bright red with no armor. She was also barefoot and had her hair down, Tessaiga tied to her hip, walking through the hallways.

"Comfortable?" She heard Takemaru walking behind her and she turned to speak. "Quite, actually. I'm happy I let Sango pack this for me." Her eyes rested on the still man before her as he fumbled with his sword.

"Indeed. I hope that you aren't in anymore pain, Lady Inuyasha." His eyes softened and she smiled. "It was nothin'."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, would I lie?"

"I have no clue, my lady."

"Ah, so you think me a liar?"

His cheeks burned red and she smiled, he was cute. "N-no Lady Inuyasha, I don't think that!" Stammering, he raised both of his hands and shook his head. Of course, that only made her want to laugh more, but she decided against it, seeing that he was certifiably flustered. "I'm playing around, you're way too easy to rile up." She smirked and winked at him before she turned to continue walking. Catching up to her, Takemaru chuckled, "You aren't like a lot of other nobility that I've met before." He said. He had been watching her since they had found her and her dragon-youkai in the swamp. He had noticed every little thing about her; her laugh, her smile, the way her golden eyes would glance around in thought before she replied to someone. He didn't know what it was about her but he was determined to find out what it was about this daughter of Inu Taisho that made his heart beat faster every time he was near.

"I haven't really _been_ nobility very long." She glanced in his direction before looking ahead of her. She was sure she was headed in the direction of the kitchen. That little episode earlier had her feeling like her intestines were going to exit her ass and beat the living shit out of her if she didn't feed herself.

"What do you mean...?" The man looked confused now, his eyes wide and his head cocked to the side.

"Well, never really knew for myself that I was royal or whatever. I just knew that I had to become strong so that one day, I might be able to meet my old man and that asshole of a brother of mine."

"I see. Do your words mean that you have a strained relationship of sorts with him?"

"Not... Necessarily. We just don't really understand each other I guess."

"This Sesshomaru understands everything."

Running face first into a solid chest, the young hanyou glanced up from her spot on the floor and eyed her brother who had appeared out of thin-fucking-air.

And he didn't look happy.

* * *

** I'm so sorry this update is coming so late! I've been doing online school and well, to be totally honest, I've been sleeping so much this summer! But I have not forgotten this story, so thanks to all of you still reading! Also, I've been thinking about the plot and I have a pretty solid idea of where I want things headed. For those of you who have probably seen the movies and what not, Takemaru was originally in love with Inuyasha's mother, and in turn he killed her because she was in love with Inu Taisho etcetera. I decided to kind of ... play around with the plot, so now that Inuyasha is a girl, Takemaru is setting his sights for her... Muah hahahaha**

**xoxo Ally**


	14. Author's Note

**Hey, it's Ally. I have a question for those of you who are reading! I've been thinking, should Tsukiko keep her name? Or should I change it to Inuyasha? Is it a bit confusing for you all? I don't know, I woke up this morning and read an email from a viewer who didn't really like the name so…Yes I had to ask because all of your opinions matter, even if they don't necessarily match up with my own! Also, YES this is a _Gender Bender_ story for those of you who didn't know. And in my personal opinion, Inuyasha's character can be a bit OOC but she is also a female so the way she acts may or may not be different from the way a male may act in certain situations. Just so you all know, I think a lot before posting updates of this story and a lot of thought goes into what I write. This is my first fan fiction that has anything to do with Inuyasha so it may be a bit different from what you all have read before, but it was written with the same care and dedication as many of the other authors on this site. Please comment or inbox me your opinions on the Tsukiko/Inuyasha matter, it would mean a lot! I'm sorry if this story has confused anybody, but that's just my strange little mind for y'all… There will be a story update soon so please, stay tuned.**

**On another note, a really close person to me died recently so it's been a bit hard for me to update as frequently as I want, but just know that I won't forget about this story and that I am keeping my promise for possibly doing the Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) fan fiction. Thanks again,**

**xoxo Ally**

***Update: The name will be changed! Thanks to all of you who have replied quickly on my email and through PM, meant a lot you guys! I had to change a few things in the story, but for the most part, everything is the same! Thanks for all the support :)**


	15. Chapter 12

**Hey, it's Ally, again! Now, before anyone gets confused, Inuyasha is a bit OOC, but I have my reasons... This is a Sessh+Inu Fic, it is a Gender Bender and contains incest so if that is not your thing, I suggest you read something a bit more palatable. Please review and suggest anything that may help! Thank you and enjoy!**

**I'd also like to add my disclaimer:**

**I do **_**not**_** own Inuyasha the anime, the manga, or anything else **_**at all**_** this is all written without compensation (unless you count all of your reads and reviews of course) Anyways, without further a due… back to the story!**

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**Flashback Chapter**

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Sesshomaru was seated next to his father at a meeting with the royal Consul. He had been about one-hundred and fifteen years old at the time. His mother, Mirai, was seated on the opposite side of his father, her eyes staring emotionlessly at the room of daiyoukai in front of her.

"Lord Taisho, it is simply blasphemous to suggest that a daiyoukai such as yourself shall court a _human_ woman. What is the meaning of this?" Lord Genbu, Great Lion Daiyoukai of the North, expressed his qualms directly to Inu-Taisho. The word had gotten around that the Great Dog Demon General had set his eyes on a young human Princess. He had explained numerous times that she had a strong spiritual energy and that no matter the origins of her bloodline, she herself would also produce strong pups for him.

But that did not matter in the court's eyes. She was a mortal woman, their betrothal would taint the royal bloodline, obscure customs and ceremonies that had existed for centuries in the youkai nobility of Japan.

"Lord-Taisho, your wife, Mirai, is she not strong enough? She is of one of the purest Inu bloodlines. This can be attested by the high quality of her mokomoko. Her true form is impeccable, why in Kami's name would you mate with a lowly human woman?" Lady Namiko of the East, who was normally quite reserved, stated what was on everyone's minds. The water-dragon daiyoukai stared at Inu-Taisho with piercing blue eyes trying to make sense of what he was doing. But it simply was not clear to her, or any of the other Lords and Ladies for that matter.

Sesshomaru was beginning to despise coming to meetings. It was completely and utterly tedious. He had more paramount affairs to attend to in his study. But no, his father had to act like some pre-pubescent pup, drooling after some human wench. Sesshomaru was surprised his mother had held on to her dignity in the process. Although he knew his parents were not the best of matches, he would have at least thought the Taisho would have shown some sort of respect for his current wife and taken the mortal bitch as a concubine or something of the sort. But it seemed like Inu-Taisho was suggesting something that was rarely ever done in youkai nobility. Something akin to the human divorce, but of much more severity and with more bone-chilling consequences.

The way that mating was done in the youkai world was much... _Different_ than in the human world. Once a youkai mates, it is for life (that is, if one or the other is not killed in battle). There are a few steps, however, that lead to the final pairing of the two youkai. With each progressive step, it would become increasingly hard to destroy the bonds created. The first step was to scent claim the mate. It was simple, the two youkai would be able to perform a scent claim without having noticed or planned it if they were an ideal match. There had been quite a few forced scent claims, (which are tedious to perform), however, the ones that occur naturally are always much stronger. The scent claim simply takes the Alpha scent and coats the Beta scent. The two youkai then, in a sense, (no pun intended), become one. It becomes harder for enemies to track them down individually. The alpha can choose to scent claim his or her offspring as well, without having anything to do with mating.

The second step is the mental claim. It is when the two youkai are able to connect their yoki to one another and are therefore able to communicate without having to speak. This claim is much harder to perform and is usually skipped because of how mentally close and how honest with one another each youkai has to be. If it is performed, the strength of the connection depends on the closeness of the youkai. Sesshomaru had the faintest idea that his father and mother had skipped this step.

The third step is the blood claim. It usually occurs when they participate in sexual intercourse with one another. Depending on the pairing, many youkai perform this step within their human forms. Normally, it is the inner youkai that determines the form that the youkai will take. The closer the mental connection, the closer to their truest and rawest form the youkai will take. It should be noted, however, that in the case of a youkai mating with a human, the youkai always takes the form of a human. (Not much is known about the courtship between hanyou and youkai or hanyou and humans, so there is much speculation surrounding that.) During the process, the youkai will either bite or scratch, leaving a mark on their mate. This mark will eventually form a tattoo-like etching on the body. It will be the epitome of each youkai's spirit.

The final claim is the soul claim. It is rarely done and can be considered dangerous to some. This is when both youkai's souls become so intertwined that the individual souls are near indistinguishable. If one youkai were to die, it has been observed that the other youkai follows shortly after. There is no true explanation why, simply because it doesn't occur often enough to be studied.

If Sesshomaru was correct in his assumptions, his parents had performed two of the four mating rituals: the scent and blood claims. If his father were to break his bonds with his mother, she would no longer be under the protection of his scent, and subsequently, the protection of Inu no Taisho.

Sesshomaru sighed as he continued to listen to the endless drabble of the court.

If mating was such an important thing, why had his parents been forced together? If it was such a sacred thing, why had they been betrothed simply for the fact that they would produce perfectly powerful offspring? Sesshomaru was not complaining, he was not one to focus on insolence, however, he was noticing how barbaric and hypocritical the other daiyoukai were being. Not that he specifically cared for mortals, he just could not understand why his father had to choose. He was Inu-Taisho, protector of Japan from the Mongol invaders, the Great Dog Demon General. If he wanted to wed another, why did he have to break his bonds with _his_ mother? Was producing this Sesshomaru not enough? Was he not the son that he wanted? Sesshomaru was the perfect demon due to the combination of both of his parent's genetic information. If Inu-Taisho wanted a more perfect heir, Sesshomaru was sure it was not possible.

The young dog demon believed he would never understand what his father truly wanted. Did he want his mother to let him bed her? Did he want Sesshomaru to be a better, more intelligent son? Why was he causing such a disruption not only their home, but in the youkai community as well? Was chasing after the mortal woman it truly worth it?

It just did not make any sense to him.

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••••••

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Izayoi was terrified. Terrified of the fact that her father was so quick to send her off to marry a demon. Terrified of what marriage entailed. She was even more afraid of what Inu-Taisho wanted from her. What could someone who had everything want with someone like her? A princess who had never stepped foot outside of her palace grounds. A princess who had never interacted with someone aside from servants and family members. The young woman stroked her long, straight black hair and stared into the sky from the large balcony attached to her living quarters. Her brown eyes shone with such admiration for the world around her. She loved her home, the gardens and the fountains, the flora and the fauna. She feared leaving her home for a new, alien life. The youthful princess was so accustomed to the way of life at her palace and being told that one day she would marry a human prince, that thinking about being the bride of a demon was frightening. She thought about the stories she had heard from her handmaidens when they did not know she was listening in.

"I have heard that demons **devour** their young human brides after they birth their spawn!"

"Yes, I have heard of demons consuming an **entire** village's population of young, virgin women."

"I fear for the Lady Izayoi, her father is not thinking about her well-being. He simply wants to be able to tell all of Japan that his daughter was wed to the Great Inu no Taisho. Whether she survives or not. "

She had shaken in her bed that entire night. That is, until she was out for a walk later the next day, clad in a deep purple kimono and light blue hakama, with her hair pulled into a low ponytail. She had been looking at the cherry blossom and plum trees and how well they were growing, when something told her to look behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a young man, who looked a tad bit older than her dressed in a white kimono and hakama, armored boots, and a long flowing sash. He had a gorgeous pelt that seemed to be split into two. His silver hair was pulled neatly into a high ponytail, and for a second, he glanced in her direction with piercing golden eyes.

He smiled at her, so quick, one could argue that it hadn't happened. But _she_ saw it, the faintest upturn of his lips, a soft crinkle at the corners of his eyes. It was from that moment that she knew that her future husband was kind, and she was not as afraid as she was before.

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••••••

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"Sesshomaru, don't you **dare** let her out of your sight! Take them both, and make sure that they are safe. Myoga, he will follow you and make sure that you arrive safely. Please, my son, do not let any harm befall them."

Lord Inu-Taisho knew that the time would come when he would have to send his young wife away with their child. The youkai world was simply not ready for hanyou to be accepted into the families of nobility. He had heard from a long-time companion and fellow warrior that there would be a possible feud between clans if Izayoi and their daughter were to stay in the Western palace. He decided to think about their well-being and chose to send them off, although it was slowly but surely breaking his immortal heart. He gave his beloved a letter to have their daughter bring back once she was of age, as a precaution to make sure she was who she said she was since she would no longer have his scent, nor would he be in contact with her for over a century.

"I shall give her the name, _Inuyasha_." He said, and kissed his daughter's soft, cherubic cheeks before handing her over to her mother. He kissed Izayoi softly and whispered his farewell, and looked at his son, the spitting image of himself. He was afraid to give away something he had been searching for his entire life: a family. Although the great general would have his son by his side, he would forever have an absence in his heart for he knew that Izayoi, with her mortal frailty, would die long before Inuyasha would even reach the age of maturity. This struck fear into the dog demon's heart, fear became sadness and sadness became regret. However, he knew that he did not feel remorse for the creation of his hanyou daughter. He was disappointed that he had started something he could not be a part of. He felt repentant that he could not give Izayoi the husband that she deserved. He felt as though he had not served her the way he had envisioned he would.

"I am trusting you with my heart, my son." He said, and Sesshomaru allowed no sign of emotion to show, for he understood how hard it was for his father. "Understood." He took Izayoi and her hanyou child onto his mokomoko and began to fly.

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••••••

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"Lord Sesshomaru, we have arrived." Myoga the flea had directed the party of three to a small cottage near the coast, hidden by rocky formations and large mountains. Its location near the water would help dispel their scents and keep them safe. Myoga stated he would be staying until Gakuto, the Great Tiger Demon Warrior of the West, had arrived. But something told Sesshomaru to stay a while with the vexatious flea until the more tolerable youkai made an appearance. The flea could be a bit... scatterbrained from time to time and Sesshomaru felt the situation called for someone with a more stable head on their shoulders.

He sat on a table as he watched his mortal step-mother feed his baby sister (he had no clue as to what to refer to her as, so he kept with human traditions and called her what he had heard many earthlings refer to the _other woman_ as). He stifled a scowl as he watched his younger sister suckle at the woman's breast.

_Is her milk even remotely palatable?_ He wondered. The way his sister gurgled and continued to suck seemed to be an answer. However, Sesshomaru refused to believe that a human woman could possibly fulfill the role as a mother to a child with Inu no Taisho's blood pumping through their veins. It was simply unheard of. Yes, hanyou had existed for just about as long as youkai, however, a hanyou mixed with the blood of an _Inu daiyoukai _had simply never happened. At least, not to Sesshomaru's knowledge. Their bloodline had remained pure, untouched from anything outside of the Inu clans. When an Inu bitch went into her first heat, she was mated with the most viable match, searching first within her family and then branching off into the Northern and Eastern clans if a match could not be found within her kin. Raising an Inu pup was the job of an Inu bitch, not some _mortal woman_.

"Sesshomaru, would you like to get a closer look at your sister?" Izayoi, the damnable wench spoke to him, her brown eyes moving from her child's face to capturing his gaze in mere seconds. She had noticed his gaze and wondered if holding his sister would calm his nerves. She noticed that his normally blue and subsequently balanced aura was flickering with hues of sulfur. Although he concealed his aura rather quickly, Izayoi definitely noticed the uneasiness.

"This Sesshomaru needs no such thing. Are you suggesting that his eyesight is inferior to that of your own?" He asked, slightly offended by her proposition. His glare did nothing to strike fear in her, however, for she laughed, and shook her head. "No, I am asking you if you would like to hold her." She stated, clarifying what she meant. If his mother had not have taught him any differently, Sesshomaru might have flinched. 'Hold... An infant? A slight contraction of his hold on the child would end the monstrosity's life.' Before he could make any sign of dispute, Izayoi had carefully handed Inuyasha to the young Inu prince and smiled. "I shall step outside for some air and to collect some herbs for tea this morning." She said, and made her way to the door.

Shock. Confusion. Powerlessness.

Sesshomaru had no idea how to process these feelings as he listened to his younger sibling's heartbeat. His highly sensitive ears had nothing else to focus on inside or outside of the room, besides her breathing, so everything that came from her was amplified. The slight burp that escaped from her small mouth, the suckling of her thumb, even the fluttering of her eyes as she gazed upon her older brother with matching golden orbs. Sesshomaru thought back to the promise he had made his mother about never developing feelings for the heirs that Izayoi would bear Inu-Taisho. He remembered her very last words and he remembered agreeing with her in order to sate her so that her soul would rest easy. However, he knew at that very moment that he would not be able fulfill that wish for her. Without warning, he began to develop feelings of protection for his sister, feelings he had never felt for another living being. As a few strands of his long, alabaster hair swept across his face and into his lap, Inuyasha grabbed a hold of the strands and began to suck on them. The feeling of disgust that Sesshomaru expected to feel did not make it's way into his gut. Instead, he formed a small smile and began to tug his hair softly.

"Inuyasha, I promise to wait for you until the end of time. Please, hurry and grow up so that we may share our first words together." He said softly, and the young pup smiled at him, her fluffy hanyou ears (too big for her at the time) perked up to the sound of his voice and she began to giggle. He wondered, _does she like this Sesshomaru?_

He then heard the sound of the door opening and he stood up, holding his sister in his arms and glanced at Gakuto and Izayoi, who seemed to have been discussing something. "I shall be making my leave." He stated matter-of-factly and handed his sister to the human princess.

"Lord Sesshomaru, we have a few things to discuss-"

"No, send word with Myoga if necessary." Sesshomaru cut Gakuto off before he could finish his sentence. The slightly older daiyoukai nodded and bowed, his penetrating, emerald-green eyes downcast in a sign of respect. He wondered if the son of Inu-Taisho still held a distaste for mortals and hanyou alike. If so, he hoped that the next hundred or so years would soften his disdain for them, for Inuyasha would need him.

What he did not understand was that the Inu prince did not hate Inuyasha. When Sesshomaru was confused, his fight-or-flight response went into overdrive. At the moment, fighting seemed redundant, so he chose to leave, and to take one last glimpse back at his younger sister, grabbing a fist-full of tiger-daiyoukai hair and pulling.

_There would not be a day in the next one-hundred and seventy years that he didn't think about her._

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••••••

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At the age of two-hundred, Sesshomaru was the epitome of regality. The daiyoukai was composed, and confident in his intellect and his power, displaying a calm and calculating disposition at all times. That being said, his father trusted his son with all royal matters when he was off patrolling his lands.

**Sesshomaru hated it.**

He despised the insolent worms that made up the court, he especially detested the royal ladies of each family. They were constantly throwing themselves at him (albeit, with 'dignity'). It was quite repulsive and self-deprecating. Each and every single one of the sovereign ladies had yoki that did not appeal to Sesshomaru's inner youkai, and although he had the tendency to ignore his carnal and lascivious demonic self, he could not help but admit that it was right. The female youkai would produce moderately strong heirs and so forth, however, they each had lackluster personalities and spoke about common things.

"Lord Sesshomaru, my mother is throwing a party during the next full moon, everyone will be there. Shall we expect you to grace us with your presence?" One young lady, presumably a general's daughter, had the gall to approach him by herself.

"This Sesshomaru has no interest." He said, and turned on his heel to continue in the opposite direction.

The dark-haired youkai followed, small footsteps pattering against the marble floor as she tried to keep up with his quick strides. "I'm sorry? I understand that it sounded like a invitation, however, it was more like we have already written your name down on the guest list and it would be such a task to remove it-" He halted and grasped her by her thin neck, lifting her into the air. As he glared into her deep blue eyes he spoke slowly and powerfully. **"This Sesshomaru has _no_ interest to attend your party. _I do not want to bed you_, nor do I wish to mate with the _lowly likes of you_. If you do not cease with your incessant petulance, I shall destroy you."** He dropped her to her knees and left her grasping at her slightly bruised neck.

_Women._ He simply could not understand them.

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••••••

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Lord Inu no Taisho had dealt with yet another complaint about his son threatening the life of a daiyoukai's daughter. His comrades understood their place, they understood the immense power that Inu-Taisho possessed and would not dare disrespect his position of authority. However, the great general did not want to test his luck. Keeping peace with the other lands was ideal, and his son truly needed to stop acting like a spoiled pup and learn to let women down a bit easier. He then sighed at the idea and slid the paperwork that he had been signing away. His son was a lot like the way he was when he was being raised by his own father, Inu-Toga. Arrogant and prideful, but extremely intelligent and handsome. Letting women down easy would not be something Sesshomaru was interested in if the ladies constantly flocked around him like some piece of meat.

His annoyance was understandable, it was just not tolerable.

He heard the knock at the door and gave his permission for the visitor to come in. As he glanced up, he saw his son staring at him with his arms to either side, head held high.

_I wonder, since when did he grow into such a spitting image of me._

"You called for me, father." He stated more than asked.

"Yes, I've just gotten word that you threatened General Konohamaru's daughter?"

"Yes."

"For what reason, my son?"

"She insisted that I attend a party."

"Was choking her _necessary,_ Sesshomaru?"

"No."

"Then why exactly did you do it?"

"She was bothering this Sesshomaru."

"Is that a reason to harm someone?"

"Yes."

Lord Inu-Taisho sighed. He was really getting nowhere with the asking of the questions.

Sesshomaru simply did not understand why his father was asking ridiculous things. It was wasting the time he could be spending sparring and teaching new recruits swordsmanship.

"Sesshomaru, I would like you to come take a walk with me." Inu-Taisho finally said after a few moments of silence.

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••••••

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"Do you ever find yourself thinking about the well-being of your sister?" The great dog general and his son made their way to the enormous lake behind the palace. There were mountains and trees beyond it, and the moon was shining in all of its glory, flickering on the water's surface. The father adjusted both of his mokomoko and watched as his son's normally brightly colored eyes flickered to a more amber shade as he averted his gaze.

"Intermittently." Sesshomaru finally said. His father nodded, appraising his son's looks, from the violet crescent moon, to the milky-white skin. He had to admit that his son had inherited more than just some of his mother's looks. He was not just prideful and arrogant. His son had _trouble discussing his feelings._ This was something the Taisho had not yet confronted, mostly because he himself had never suffered from pride getting in the way of his emotions. The Taisho was quite the opposite, he was very expressive and opinionated, to a fault sometimes. He was realizing how different Sesshomaru truly was, and as a father, he slightly felt like a failure.

"I understand that you have difficulties embracing the idea of having a hanyou sibling. I also understand that you may have a distaste for hanyou and humans alike. However, you cannot have such strong feelings towards something, especially negative feelings, when you yourself have not tried to comprehend their existences. Formulating the concept of love or even something as simple as acceptance is not a sign of weakness, my son. That is one thing that I wished to address you about." Inu-Taisho stated benevolently.

Sesshomaru inwardly sighed. He had no personal issues with the existence of his hanyou sister, nor with accepting that his father had bed a mortal woman. However, he allowed his father to continue speaking.

"Allowing the ladies of the court to try to earn your respect or at the very least your interest is also not a sign of weakness, Sesshomaru. Having someone to protect is not a waste of time." The Taisho glanced over to his son who seemed to be waiting intently to speak. "You now have my attention." Lord Taisho said, and Sesshomaru nodded, a stoic look plastered on his face as he watched fish leaping from the water and rippling the moon's reflection on the surface. "I hold no resentment toward humans nor hanyou. Inuyasha is my sister, and the blood of the Great Dog General flows through her veins, no matter the amount of human blood that taints it," he started, Inu-Taisho raised an eyebrow at his... _Interesting_ way of beginning his remark, but resisted the urge to inquire about why he believed human blood was _dirty_. Not hating humans was a start, a big start.

"However, I am in no way interested in the likes of the youkai women in the court. No matter how purely bred, no matter their status, they are each mentally disappointing. An intelligent mate is what this Sesshomaru is looking for. I have yet to find one who is both engaging with communication and a powerful counterpart." The younger youkai was finished speaking and turned to walk away when his father said his name. "Sesshomaru, one day you will find the one who appeals to your intellectual side as well as your very powerful yoki. As of right now, however, upholding the peace with my comrades is more important. All I am asking is that you stop scaring the women to the point of them never wanting to go through another heat cycle a day in their lives." Inu-Taisho joked half-heartedly and grinned at his son, his markings glowing with pride. One day, his son would find an amazing mate.

One who would give him a run for his money, so to speak. Hopefully, they would knock some sense into him.

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••••••

* * *

She hated when Gakuto would scold her for not being lady-like. Who the hell actually cares! Inuyasha pouted as she perched herself high enough in a tree that even Shippo wouldn't feel like climbing it yo come get her. What does being lady-like and being a warrior have to do with each other? According to Gakuto's definition of "femininity," slouching and stuffing one's mouth was not what a young woman should do. Neither was walking barefoot, cursing, squatting, not bathing, all things that Inuyasha enjoyed to do, (from time to time.) and _who was he_ to say that she couldn't? _Fuck him and his stupid, shitty opinions._ Inuyasha almost punched the tree before realizing it would probably knock the stupid thing down.

She sighed.

"Inuyasha, one day, you'll have to find a mate. Behaving the way that you do will not only terrify prospective daiyoukai, you could probably scare off the Buddha himself." The damn bastard had said once. She nearly launched her foot up his ass. "Why the hell should I care if anybody wants to mate with me? If they don't want me as is, I don't want 'em either!" She shouted, Sango had to diffuse her before she escalated the argument into a full-blown battle. "Inuyasha... Let's go... fishing, alright?" The taijiya had suggested. Good ol' Sango, always knowing what to do.

What Inuyasha refused to admit was that she was slightly afraid. Afraid of being rejected by someone. Terrified of wanting to be with someone and they end up rejecting her, for all that she was, for everything she stood for. Just for being who she was. Inuyasha refused to change herself simply to appeal to some dumbass. Why the hell should she? She was a catch... Wasn't she?

She wished her mother was still around, maybe she could have shed some light on the whole mating thing. They hadn't had that discussion when they had been together.

After cleansing a village of a spider youkai infestation, the taijiya, the houshi, the hanyou and their two youkai companions decided to restock on necessary items. Sango was searching for food and toiletries with Kirara in her arms. As the monk Miroku eased his way through the crowd, Shippo made his way onto his shoulders, glancing at his adoptive mother. "Miroku, is their something wrong with Inuyasha?" The youngest member of the group asked and if Miroku were to be honest, he had no idea. Inuyasha had been relatively quiet since they had left the village. If it had been someone else, maybe the silence would have been normal.

But this was Inuyasha,_ loud and obnoxious_ Inuyasha.

"Maybe she's just meditating, young one." Miroku decided against furthering the young youkai's worry and suggested Shippo to leave Inuyasha alone for a little while.

Tugging at the Beads of Subjugation, Inuyasha inwardly groaned. Kikyo, that bitch. She honestly thought she had cared for the Hanyou. What was more upsetting, however, was that Inuyasha genuinely cared about her.

Was this destiny?

Was it destined for Inuyasha to step outside of her comfort zone and ultimately be crushed emotionally?

Glaring at the people around her, she watched as the flow of traffic seemed to be going in only one direction. The shops that were open outside were set up to go with the upward curve of the hillside they were built on. The hanyou watched as Sango walked past her as she looked for more food to fill her bag for the journey ahead. She took note of Miroku flirting with young women.

Sighing, Inuyasha turned and began to walk in the opposite direction.

* * *

••••••

* * *

Sesshomaru was infuriated. His father had sent him to acquire some rare herbs from some open market place on some god-forsaken hillside somewhere near Lake Shouji. What vexed Sesshomaru the most was that there were servants who had jobs to do this. The Inu prince had much more important matters to deal with.

But no, his father had to have him do it _now._

"Sesshomaru you are the quickest on your feet, I need this by tomorrow." He had said.

After handing the peddler the correct amount of money, he received the ridiculous herbs and began to walk in the opposite direction of the flow of the crowd. The humans stared at his ivory tresses and women blushed as they gazed upon his face. They were taken aback by his foreign beauty. But Sesshomaru wasn't looking at them. He was looking at another person, presumably female, walking about six meters to the right of him heading in the same direction:_ against the flow._

He took note of her long silver hair. The way the sun reflected off of the strands made it seem almost white. She had ears on the top of her head, which he noticed were dog-like and twitched in response to the noise coming from all directions.

She had on a red haori-like article of clothing but just as he was about to get a closer look, a monk stepped into his line of vision and grasped her shoulder, taking her back into the flow of the crowd.

How disappointing.

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**Thank you guys so much for following this story! I apologize for taking SO long to update but OH MY GOSH, this year was unbelievably long and torturous for me. I can't believe I actually neglected this beauty. I read over the chapters and realized that I can take this story into so many different directions. Reading the comments you guys left me gave me so much inspiration. I, for one, know how it feels to enjoy a fanfic and all of a sudden the chapters start dwindling and you're left wanting more. I know that this story hasn't yet reached its full potential, and yet I see comments that show that you guys are really enjoying where the story is going. Kouga and Miroku? Definitely might be a thing ;) Gakuto and Sango? Watch out ;D **

**Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, Kami, are they amazing characters to work with.**

**Sesshomaru:_ "This Sesshomaru agrees."_**

**Inuyasha:_ "Shut up, Sesshy."_**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter, there shall be more to come because you guys _deserve_ more **


	16. Author's Note and Update

**A/N: I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long, I hope that this short can help explain why... **

* * *

Burden

Shrouded in darkness, she searches through her veil of distrust for an opening.

A portal that would transport her away from the misery within. It is a hard thing to convey one's truest emotions.

Especially to those we care for the most. Once we decide that our gloom can be transformed into another's burden, we choose to hide it, ingest it, never let it see the light of day again.

She was especially gifted at sitting atop her mountainous emotional misfortunes until it became so colossal,

it simply couldn't be bottled up anymore. To her, she was regularly filling the smallest bottles

with herculean sized vessels, ships that mounted the oceans of her consciousness until the sea bellowed in agony. Yet, she continued to fill bottle after bottle, day after day.

**Child, do you not tire of the foreboding you face each and every day, the apprehension to wake up in the morning, fingers tired from pressing that gun to your temple, squeezing and then releasing, but never taking the safety off? Why must you be reluctant in allowing him inside? Why not allow your walls to be obliterated, crumbling into ash and drifting away into a sea of nothingness and help him to help you?**

_**Anxiety, **_ _**Depression, **_ _**Melancholy, **_ _**Seclusion, **_

_I don't want to be abandoned. _

_I am tired of being told to hold myself up, to be the pillars of my own mental stability. To be strong enough to ask for help, but reject my true feelings so as to not make others feel too uncomfortable. I want to bury myself under the clutter that is my mind. I am resolute in being secluded and dejected. I am willing to cut ties, to drown in the questions that they have, the genuine worry and the false sympathy. If it is to only soften the blow of acknowledging that someone who seems so mighty and so self-sufficient is truly only a pile of crumbled concrete,_

_I am willing to neglect them all._

* * *

**These past few months I have been struggling with some severe depression and anxiety. I've had my moments in the past where I haven't been able to cope and have felt the need to distance myself a bit from people but lately, I have felt beyond cut off from the world. I haven't felt the need to reach out to friends, to do the things I love the most, Every single day has been such a struggle. Just writing this took so much energy and courage to do. To ****share these most intimate thoughts with strangers. Strangers whom I feel might understand me more than the people I was once the closest with. I have lost friends these past few months, this past year, because not only did they not understand what I was going through, but I myself didn't understand.**

**I still want to continue with this story, it gives me joy. Honestly, I need something to take my mind off of things at home and things at school. I need this outlet, this place to be creative and free... ****I want to find myself again, you know? Possibly start another project here. I have dreams and aspirations and I know that I have the ability to carry them to fruition I just... Really need to get over this... Toxic blockage. I am honestly so very sorry for putting this story off. I feel as though I have not only neglected our Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, but also you guys. This story isn't huge, it isn't the best written or anything like that. But I know some people like it, and I'm sorry for being disappointing to you guys. **

**I'm currently re-writing a chapter (that actually got deleted off of my phone...long story) and should be updating very soon (within this next week) so please stay tuned, **

**Thank you guys so much :)**


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